Ever since they won gold while ice dancing to Ravel’s Bolero at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean have held a special place in the hearts of the British public.
So when it was announced back in March that the talented pair were in talks to return for the new series of Dancing On Ice, a collective cheer could (almost) be heard across the country.
What could be better than seeing our skating superheroes perform on our TV screens week in, week out?
Sadly, it sounds like there might be a caveat to their comeback. Appearing on today’s Good Morning Britain, Jane and Chris – who’ve recently announced a nationwide tour – suggested that their role on the ITV show will be more about judging and much less about actual skating.
Asked by presenter Ben Shephard if we’ll be seeing the Nottinghamshire pair navigate the frozen stuff on a weekly basis, Jane, 60, replied: “Not at the moment, but when we go on tour I don’t think they’ll be able to stop us getting on the ice!”
Christopher then joked: “We’re now judges – we’re going to rock up on Sunday and give our expert opinion, then be like: ‘See you next week – be better!'”
What?! Dancing On Ice without routines from Torvill and Dean? We’re not sure we like the sound of that.
The duo were regulars on Dancing On Ice before it went off air in 2014. Back in those days, they would choreograph routines for the competing celebrities.
When asked if they’ll miss that aspect of the job, Jane said: “I think we will once we get started, because that’s what we’ve always loved, the creative side of everything – that’s what we do.
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“But we need to take a step back and let them all get on with it.”
While they were on GMB, the partnership also lifted the lid on why the skating show was taken off air after a nine-year run.
Jane explained: “At first, I think after nine series it was quite draining on the body and the mind. It was nice to have that break, maybe for one year.
“But then everyone started to get a little bit twitchy.”
And Chris could barely contain his excitement as he revealed what’s in store for the new series – due to hit our TV screens in January.
He said: “We’ve got new producers, so it’s going to have a really fresh look.”
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While they’ve always enjoyed incredibly chemistry on the ice rink, Torvill and Dean’s relationship has remained platonic.
Appearing on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2013, Jane explained: “We decided very early on that if we’d slept together, we couldn’t have skated.” (Although, the pair did admit that they’d “dabbled once”.)
Celebrities confirmed for the 2018 series of Dancing On Ice include The Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown, Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker and rugby player Max Evans.
Torvill and Dean’s Dancing On Ice Live UK Tour begins in March.