COOL customer Mark Hanretty is flying the flag for Renfrewshire once more after returning for the new series of Dancing on Ice.

The 35-year-old Erskine man will be performing live with his new skating partner, television personality Billie Shepherd, for the first time tomorrow.

Professional skater Mark, who has represented Great Britain on the international stage, said he is thrilled to be appearing in front of television audiences across the country again.

He told The Gazette: “It’s an absolute joy to be back in the studio and the overwhelming gratitude we all feel to be experiencing this amazing show is phenomenal.

“Billie is understandably incredibly nervous but is working very hard in training and my job is to get her to believe in how good she could be.”

Mark, who now lives in Nottingham with his wife and two children, has previously been Dancing on Ice coach and choreographer for Loose Women star Saira Khan, actress Nadia Sawalha, businesswoman Rosemary Connelly and TV personality Donna Air.

Most memorably, in 2013, viewers watched in horror as he dislocated his shoulder before his ‘survival skate’ with politician Oona King.

Behind the scenes, he had his arm popped back into place and went on to complete the routine.

Now Mark will be hoping to impress the judges and avoid the dreaded skate-off on Sunday, which will see the first couple eliminated from the competition.

However, in a voting twist this series, judges will now have the power to award their newly-created golden ticket. 

For the first two weeks only, a couple per week will receive this honour, which saves them from the vote and guarantees them graduation straight through to the third show of the series.

However, at the moment, Mark is fully focused on boosting the confidence of skating partner Billie, known for her appearances in reality show The Only Way Is Essex, before the big night.

He said: “We’ve had a few nasty bumps along the way but probably the biggest issue is that Billie is worried about performing in a live show. 

“We have to overcome nervous wobbles, as well as physical fall wobbles.”

Other celebrities taking part include former Olympians Colin Jackson and Graham Bell, as well as television presenter Denise van Outen and actor/singer Jason Donovan.

You can watch Mark and Billie’s debut performance on ITV at 6pm tomorrow.