Faye Brookes had 'breakdowns' over Dancing On Ice 'loneliness'

Faye Brookes suffered "breakdowns" during her 'Dancing On Ice' stint.

The former 'Coronation Street' star - who joined the ITV soap in 2015 and spent four years on the cobbles as Kate Connor - was a runner-up on the celebrity figure skating competition in the 2021 series, which took place with restrictions due to the pandemic.

Speaking on her new 'Not Fazed With Faye' podcast, she told former 'Strictly Come Dancing' star Kevin Clifton: "I felt like I had to be this princess that I could do it all and I was perfect.

"No, no, no. Nobody saw the bruises, nobody saw the tears, the breakdowns that I had over that. It was quite lonely at times."

The 36-year-old actress admitted it was tough having to "really abide by" the rules and regulations in place at the time to stop the spread of COVID-19.

She added: “I’m not saying it’s lonely at the top, because I’m not at the top, but my Dancing On Ice was in lockdown so we were stuck with these rules and had to really abide by these rules, every week, every Sunday – doing what we were told just so the show could go up.”

While she was competing on 'Dancing On Ice', Faye was dating personal trainer Joe Davies after breaking up from fiance Gareth Gates in 2019.

She said: “I really felt that at times I was so caught up in my head and I couldn’t get out of my head. I needed my loved ones near me, just a support system, someone to talk to.”

After breaking up with Joe in 2022, she started dating theatre director Iwan Lewis, who she had been friends with for 11 years before their relationship blossomed.

Next month, the loved up couple will celebrate their first wedding anniversary, and Faye admitted their marriage and move to the Cotswolds was "the best decision [she] ever made".

She said: "I’ve never been so content. I honestly never thought I could be this happy. I’m feeling very content, very settled."