The road to celebrity rebirth is littered with the lame, aching, uncoordinated corpses of those who tried and failed to reinvent themselves as stars of the ballroom or the ice rink.

But among the few who were successful at attempting tango, tap dance or triple salko their way back into the public’s affections, sport has had more than its fair share.

Latest to don the Lycra and reveal lumps and bumps where once resided a mass of muscle is rugby league legend Ellery Hanley.

He had a fine sidestep as a player, but being nimble on your pins across a manicured pitch is one thing. Perfecting the art of merely remaining upright in a pair of ice skates - on ice - is quite another.

The challenge for Hanley is to start the sequin-clad fightback for rugby league because, let’s face it, the union boys have been running away with it.

Two years ago Matt Dawson got all the way to the Strictly final. This year Austin Healey made it to the quarter-final while 12 months earlier Kenny Logan outlasted his wife on the show despite possessing the same capacity for dancing that Hannibal Lecter has for veganism.

And in 2007 Kyran Bracken was crowned king of the ice and has since gone on to star in his own show which, considering he quit rugby with a debilitating back complaint, is astonishing.

What contribution the men from the 13-man game to the Saturday night family fun fest?

You could count Martin Offiah’s efforts on Strictly, but he was a code-crosser.

Hanley has it all to do to restore some pride in the game of the north.

After it was announced that he would be taking part, he said: “Because of my sporting background I'm used to people throwing bananas and calling me all sorts of names.”

Yes, Ellery, but you weren’t toppling about on an ice rink at the time, were you?