January has arrived and as is usual for this time of year, a new crop of barely recognisable faces are gearing up to show themselves up to the nation on the ice.
Of course, I'm referring to Dancing on Ice which this year is arguably its most hotly-anticipated series in recent memory - here's hoping the excitement won't melt the rink!
However, much of the hype and chatter has nothing to do with a line-up that boasts a nearly 60-year-old Eddie the Eagle, one of the singers from S Club, an EastEnders star who was killed off in 2015, and, inevitably, a Love Islander.
No, this series of Dancing on Ice is all about the return of Holly Willoughby who for the first time ever, will be fronting the series without Phillip Schofield by her side.
Instead, ITV's jack-of-all-trades-master-of-being-an-Ant-and-Dec-understudy Stephen Mulhern will accompany the former This Morning host.
Much of the speculation surrounding Willoughby's potential return to DOI came following her decision to step down from ITV's This Morning after 13 years as a presenter last October.
It was certainly the correct call for the 42-year-old to say goodbye to This Morning after a murder and kidnap plot against her was foiled, causing unimaginable stress and turmoil for her and her family.
But the decision to come back to the rink is definitely not the right one.
Holly and Phil have been the darlings of Dancing on Ice since the very beginning
GETTY
The list of reasons why Willoughby should've refrained from giving ITV the pleasure of having her back on screen is as long as the list of former Dancing on Ice contestants of whom I've no recollection.
One is the timing of her return to the spotlight - she only announced her This Morning departure back in October, a measly three months ago.
Each to their own but after such a harrowing ordeal, she would've been forgiven for wanting more time out of the public eye rather than return just to watch Ricky Hatton fall on his a**e.
Secondly, Willoughby's 2023 is a year she undoubtedly wants to forget and in a professional sense that means cutting ties with all things Schofield.
The double act faced controversy after controversy last year, from the infamous 'queue-gate' to unironically offering the chance to pay viewers' energy bills in a cost of living crisis as part of This Morning's light-hearted Spin to Win segment.
But their partnership was ripped apart for good when Schofield left ITV after admitting to lying to ITV bosses and Willoughby about an "unwise but not illegal" relationship with a younger runner.
WATCH NOW: Holly Willoughby's famous 'are you okay?' monologue after Schofield exit
Soon after, damage control set in for Willoughby and her PR team, desperately erasing any semblance of their friendship on social media and Schofield admitting in an interview with the BBC that he'd text Willoughby but received no reply.
So why on Earth at a time when you're desperately trying to repair both your personal and professional reputation would you return to a show synonymous with the silver-locked TV presenter?
Willoughby and Mulhern won't be lauded for any chemistry they exhibit together. Instead, they will face continual comparisons with Schofield week after week - not exactly the fresh start Willoughby will have hoped for.
This feeds into the third reason she shouldn't have returned as all eyes will be on the presenting duo and divert away from the action on the ice.
Who is going to care if Leyla from Emmerdale has pulled off a perfect routine if they're scrutinising the presenters for any sign of body language that could hint at a feud? Or if Willoughby looks happier without Schofield? Or if she's completely indifferent? Whichever way, it's a headline.
But arguably the biggest reason Willoughby should've turned down DOI is because it's unlikely she'll be there for long - whether by choice or not.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
- Shaun Bailey breaks silence on being branded a ‘misogynist’ by Carol Vorderman: ‘She is a BULLY!’
- Jeremy Clarkson issues 'urgent' planning plea as star attempts big Diddly Squat change amid council rows
- Mr Bates vs The Post Office's Paula Vennells star weighs in on calls for shamed CEO to 'face prison'
Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern worked together many moons ago
GETTY
Dancing on Ice has been the victim of declining ratings year after year, resulting in the lowest-viewed series of all time in 2023.
Dwindling figures from BARB show that last year's average viewers dipped below the four million mark for the first time in the show's history (3.93 million).
Of course, this could be down to viewing habits and the presence of online streaming but the numbers still don't make for pleasant reading if you're a bigwig at ITV.
Willoughby's comeback will undoubtedly present a spike in the figures for the competition but will it be enough after Week One to keep people tuning in? Unlikely.
Plus, the first incarnation of DOI came to an end after eight years in 2014 before the reboot in 2017 so if it follows a similar trend, next year could be the swan song.
Then what for Willoughby? A return to This Morning? A spot on Loose Women? When the ice has thawed after she rushed her return to screens it's hard to know where she'll slide off to next.
All in all, ITV using Willoughby as a pawn to merely boost the ratings of a tired and declining reality show will have bosses rubbing their hands while she freezes on the sidelines long-term.
