Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean’s real reason for retiring amid Dancing On Ice axe fears

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have now officially retired from ice skating, five decades after being paired together, but hope to continue judging on Dancing On Ice

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have retired from skating, but hope to remain on Dancing on Ice (Image: ITV)

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Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have revealed why they plan to hang up their skates after five decades as Dancing On Ice’s future remains uncertain.

Rumours have been rife that ITV could be about to pull the plug on the show after its ratings are understood to have dropped. In its heyday, Dancing On Ice was watched by around 12 million people.

But the Mirror reports that tonight’s final could be the last one ever. ITV said “no decision has been made” on the show’s future as it prepares for the final.

Judges Torvill and Dean, best known for winning gold at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics with their dance to Maurice Ravel’s Boléro, have already announced their plans to retire this year. The pair have been skating together since 1975.

Speaking on the High Performance podcast, Dean, 66, explained: “Fifty years is a nice round number I think. It’s been a long time and to do what we want to do, in a fashion we want to do it, I think we’re just at the last place where we can still do that and as we get older, you won’t be able to do it.

Torvill and Dean won gold at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics (Image: Getty Images)
“Somebody once said, it was a long while ago, ‘leave the stage before the stage leaves you’. I think it’s the right time.”

Dean says he plans to “see England” by touring around in a campervan once the pair hang up their skates. While Torvill, 67, has previously revealed a lifetime of skating has taken its toll on their bodies.

Speaking to Prima magazine, she said: “We’ve never really stopped skating, and if we’re in a period when we’re not training together, we both use the gym quite a lot and keep fit that way.

“If you’ve had a period of time when you’ve not skated, within 20 minutes on the ice, it’s back. It’s always there. It’s a bit like riding the bike story. But we’ve done it our whole lives and I think that’s a big asset in keeping us fit and healthy, although there are aches and pains every now and then.”

While Torvill and Dean have officially stopped dancing, they have previously said they hope to continue Dancing on Ice. But insiders believe the show, which recorded 2.9 million viewers for this year’s launch, could be scrapped this year, with the cost of the celebrities involved being cited as an additional problem it faces.

One insider told The Mirror: “There are very real fears this is the end of the road for Dancing on Ice. It’s had a good run for nearly 20 years and has a very loyal set of viewers who really love it but the sad truth is there’s just not enough of them.

“We need bums on seats but the ratings have dropped to a point where it’s difficult to justify the cost.”

Dancing on Ice’s Torvill and Dean (Image: PA)
Many of the 12 celebrity contestants receive six-figure salaries, reflecting the months of training required to master their routines. ITV also invests heavily in paying substantial fees to presenters Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern, the 12 professional ice-skaters, and the four judges, which include ice-skating legends Torvill and Dean, Strictly star Oti Mabuse, and dance expert Ashley Banjo. Additionally, they must cover the costs of maintaining the custom-built studio ice rink at Bovingdon Airfield in Hertfordshire.