DANCING on Ice star Jeremy Sheffield wants his home town to get behind him as he puts on his skates this weekend.

Actor Jeremy, 43, from Colchester, made his name as Dr Alex Adams in the BBC hospital drama, Holby City, and is one of the stars taking to the ice over the next few months.

The new ITV series kicked off last week by featuring the female contestants. This week it’s the turn of the men.

The Chelmsford-born and Coggeshall-raised actor, a former pupil at Holmwood House School in Lexden, is hoping to drum up as much support as he can from fans in north Essex.

He said: “I need all the help I can get if I’m honest. I’m not very good.”

Jeremy said he had never visited the county’s only permanent ice rink, in Chelsmford, but since taking on the challenge had barely been off the ice. A trained ballet dancer – he first went to classes in Kelvedon aged five, before going on to board at the Royal School of Ballet, at the age of ten – he said his dancing background had not been as much of a help as he had hoped.

He added: “You’d think it would help, but it hasn’t, really. When you do ballet, you have your toes pointed out.

“With ice skating, it is completely the opposite.

“It’s the same with bending your knees.

“In ballet, you do that before you are about to jump, but it’s not the case on the ice. I’ve found it very tough. I was injured before Christmas. If I was a betting man, I wouldn’t put money on me getting too far.”

Jeremy broke his ankle four times during his ballet career and went on to appear in advertising campaigns and pop videos, notably the promo for the Australian singer Natalie Imb-ruglia’s single, Torn.

He later branched out successfully into television and film as an actor, with roles including a part alongside Will and Grace star Debra Messing in Hollywood movie, the Wedding Date, and most recently in BBC drama series New Tricks and Babylon Hotel.

Jeremy, who is dancing with professional skater, Susie Lipanova, returns to Essex to see his mum Kate, a former deputy head at the Philip Morant School, who lives in Manningtree.

He added: “I come back every couple of weeks.

“I need all the support I can get from everyone in Essex – I think I’m going to need it!

“It has been a massive honour doing this and being taught by some of the best skaters in the world.

“All of us are taking it very seriously.”

l You can see Jeremy’s Dancing on Ice debut on ITV 1 at 6.45pm on Sunday.