Gemma Bissix has revealed that one of the big reasons she signed up for Dancing On Ice 2009 was so that she could shed the ‘queen bitch’ image that her recent roles have brought.

Gemma has previously played Clare Devine in Hollyoaks and Clare Bates in EastEnders, both women were evil and manipulative and Gemma fears that she may be typecast if she doesn’t show people a softer side.

“I’ve been such a bitch on telly, in both Hollyoaks and EastEnders, that I thought it would be a really nice change for my family to see me being a bit pretty,” Bissix told We Love Telly! magazine.

“I hope after this I’ll get a role that doesn’t involve being a man-eater or a murderer. I might even get a different character name, and not be a Clare any more!”

She also admitted that the rehearsal period has been harder than she expected saying:

“It has been a real challenge. After five weeks of training, doing two to three hours a day on the ice, I’ve got the actual skating element of it. I just need to point the toes, stretch the arms and be a bit more graceful.”

Dancing on Ice launches tomorrow night at 7.00pm on ITV1.