Dancing on Ice airs Torvill and Dean’s final performance

Dancing on Ice has aired Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean’s last ever television performance.

The iconic ice-skating duo – who won a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics – have appeared on Dancing on Ice since it began in 2006, first serving as experts before moving onto the judging panel. They announced their retirement in 2024, teasing one last performance together on the ITV skating show.

In tonight’s grand final, the Head Judges took to the ice with a historic routine to mark the end of their incredible 50-year career. “It is very emotional for us. It’s been a fantastic ride. We’ve been here 17 series, something like over 80 performances, but last one tonight,” said a visibly moved Dean

In a VT, the duo explained how Dancing on Ice had brought them out of their retirement, when they were asked to join the show as choreographers. “There we go. We were back performing again,” said Torvill.

After returning to skating, the pair treated viewers to regular performances on the show but decided to make their final routine extra special. “Going out there for that last performance, it’s our Olympics again,” added Dean.

Dusting off their legendary purple outfits, the pair treated viewers to an emotional routine, fully showcasing their incredible talent, alongside the Dancing on Ice professionals.

But while it may be the end of their TV skating, Torvill and Dean will be going on tour across the country to bid a final farewell to their fans. “We go into rehearsals for our tour right after this and we’ll be touring April and May in the UK,” Torvill said.

Elsewhere in the show, the remaining celebrities Sam Aston and Michaela Strachan were each able to perform their version of the Bolero – an iconic skating routine, made famous by Torvill and Dean when they performed it at the 1984 Olympics.

Speaking about the original performance, which was watched by 24 million people in the UK, Michaela recalled: “I’m old enough to remember it quite well. I was 18 and I remember just thinking it was so different to anything else people had seen, and so in sync and so beautiful.”