‘Dancing On Ice’ hasn’t even returned to our screens yet, but the series has already lost a celebrity contestant with Monty Panesar being forced to pull out.

ITV revealed the news via Twitter, explaining that the ex-England cricketer sustained an injury while practicing his moves on the ice.

We are super sad to announce that owing to an injury sustained in training, @MontyPanesar has had to withdraw from #DancingOnIce 2018. You’ll be sorely missed Monty – rest up and get better soon ? pic.twitter.com/WxHPDMdrZJ — Dancing On Ice (@dancingonice) December 5, 2017
“We are super sad to announce that owing to an injury sustained in training, @MontyPanesar has had to withdraw from #DancingOnIce 2018,” the tweet read. “You’ll be sorely missed Monty – rest up and get better soon.”

It was later revealed that singer Lemar will replace him on the show.

Sharing the update on Tuesday (5 December) tweet, the ‘Dancing On Ice’ team tweeted: “ICE-BREAKING NEWS: R&B smoothie @Lemar will be taking @MontyPanesar’s place in the show and will be dancing with our French Firecracker of a pro, Melody.

ICE-BREAKING NEWS: R&B smoothie @Lemar will be taking @MontyPanesar’s place in the show and will be dancing with our French Firecracker of a pro, Melody ⛸️ pic.twitter.com/iVUTujdIMX — Dancing On Ice (@dancingonice) December 5, 2017
The new crop of ‘Dancing On Ice’ celebs are currently busy training and attempting to learn years-worth of skills in just a matter of weeks.

ITV are yet to reveal an exact date for the series launch, but it’s believed the show will begin airing in January.

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield will return as presenters, while Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill are swapping their coaching roles for seats on the judges panel. They’ll be joined by Jason Gardiner and newbie Ashley Banjo.