Mrs Brown’s Boys star Gary Hollywood lined up for Dancing On Ice after being axed from BBC sitcom in pay row
MRS Brown’s Boys star Gary Hollywood has been lined up for Dancing On Ice after being axed from the BBC sitcom.
The 41-year-old - best known for playing Dino Doyle - has already auditioned for bosses and is hoping to make his return to prime time TV.
Gary was first linked to Dancing On Ice last year prior to his dramatic exit from Mrs Brown’s and it has since been reported the Mrs Brown’s cast were banned from doing reality TV.
A show insider said: “Dancing on Ice approached Gary last year to participate and he jumped at the chance to do it - but he was still part of the show and had to turn it down. Mrs Browns don’t like their stars doing reality shows.
“Dancing On Ice would be perfect for him, after the difficult year he’s has with his brother Gerard passing and the whole Mrs Brown’s drama, this is exactly what he needs to get back out there. He’s outgoing, funny and extremely competitive.”
They added: “It makes sense we want Gary again, he’s now a free agent and no longer bound to one show.
"TV audiences seem to love him and it’s shown in the latest ratings for Mrs Brown’s Boys."
An ITV spokesperson said: "No decisions have been made on our cast for 2022"
Today he was pictured in a grey tracksuit attending an audition for the show in Manchester.
Gary played the Scottish hairdresser on the Brendan O’Carroll show since it began in 2011, but he left in 2020 amid an alleged pay dispute.
He went on to claim he was paid less than his co-stars for spin-off show All Round To Mrs Brown’s - and was axed from a festive special after making a complaint.
He told the Daily Star: “I feel I wasn’t being paid equally and I wasn’t being given an explanation for decisions.
“When I tried to resolve it, nothing was done. I was just disregarded. But I won’t put up with it any more. I won’t be treated like that. This has gone too far. They shouldn’t do this to people."
Brendan - who plays the iconic and foul-mouthed Agnes Brown- has denied the claims.
“Some people claimed Gary left because of a row over money but it wasn’t true," Brendan told Dublin Live.
“They didn’t know the full story and it was amicable.”
Most read in Reality
Damien McKiernan, who played his boyfriend Rory, was written out of the show at the same time.
The 2020 Christmas special suffered its worst ever viewing figures in nine years, losing nearly four million viewers following Gary’s exit.
In comparison, the 2019 Christmas special pulled in over seven million viewers and was one of the most watched shows on Christmas Day.
