After two decades of dazzling performances and unforgettable moments, legendary ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have announced their shocking exit from Dancing on Ice. But why now? “We wanted to end it at the top,” they said cryptically, sparking a wave of speculation among fans. Was there behind-the-scenes drama? A surprise project in the works? Or perhaps a final, spectacular farewell? As the show faces its biggest shake-up yet, audiences are left wondering—what truly led the iconic duo to hang up their skates? One thing’s for sure: their final bow promises to be just as unforgettable as their first. Stay tuned for what could be their most emotional performance yet.

11/04/2025

Torvill and Dean on Dancing On Ice axe: “We wanted to end it at the top”

The ice dancing duo open up about their time on the series following news it is to end

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean perform on Dancing on Ice

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean spent yesterday morning gliding in and out of TV studios explaining why THEY decided?to call time on Dancing On Ice.

The shock news that the hit show will end next year sparked rumours that telly bosses had wielded the ice axe due to plummeting ratings

But when I met up with the Olympic skating legends there was no hint of a chill in relations with ITV chiefs – just very warm memories of their eight years on the show and plans to go out with a real bang.

“We’ve had such a great time doing Dancing On Ice that we wanted to finish at the top of our game,” says Christopher, 54.

“By the end of the last series we’d started to think about when we should call it a day.

“Next year was always going to be a big one for us because it’s the 30th anniversary of our Olympic win and of our first performance of Bolero. It felt like things have come full circle.

“So we approached ITV and said ‘we think it’s time’.

“They didn’t want to make the show without us so we jointly agreed that this would be the most natural way to end the series.

“It means we can make the ninth and final series, and the last Dancing On Ice tour too, something really special – to celebrate Bolero and our whole career.

“We’re not hanging up our skates for good though,” adds Jayne, 55. “I think Chris and I will always be together in some fashion.

“We might even be skating into our 80s… although the costumes will have to change a bit and we probably won’t be doing the head-bangers!”

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean

Fans of the show, which started in 2006 when actress Gaynor Faye won, will be disappointed that it’s ending.

But they can rest assured that Jayne and Chris will be pulling out all the stops to make 2014’s finale extra special – with big-name guests and “nail-biting new format twists”.

And Jayne has her sights set on one very famous name.

Chris reveals: “At the start of each series, we sit down and write a wish list. Jayne always starts with David Beckham.”

Jayne grins: “And he’s just retired, so it’s perfect timing, isn’t it? He probably wants to learn a new skill… ”

“And you’ll be saying he needs a LOT of extra lessons from you!” says Chris.

“Well, if he doesn’t want to skate, he could always be a judge,” Jayne says. “I’m pretty sure he’s quite an expert on ice skating.”

“But he’d have to do it with his top off, I suppose?” Chris teases.

Jayne looks shocked: “I didn’t say that! But you read my mind.

“And what about Kylie? She’d be great too, wouldn’t she? We’d also love to get some more Olympians to take part.”

Jayne and Chris have won a whole new generation of fans through the show.

Sharron Davies

But older viewers, like me, still vividly remember their gold medal-winning performance at the winter Olympics in Sarajevo in 1984.

More than 24 million people watched the young couple from Nottingham score maximum points for their slow, sensual free dance performance to Ravel’s Bolero.

Their steamy moves fuelled speculation about their off-ice relationship, which Jayne and Chris only addressed publicly earlier this year when, on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, they admitted “dabbling” with romance at the start of their career.

Jayne, who has been married to US sound engineer Phil Christensen for 23 years and has two children, says: “Our ‘dabbling’ was trending on Twitter after that. But we had a wonderful response to the show. I think people saw us in a different light.”

Chris, who has two sons by former wife Jill Trenary, and is now dating Dancing On Ice coach Karen Barber, added: “It was our longest sit-down interview and it gave viewers a chance to really get to know us. I wouldn’t say that we’ve put the issue to bed now – people have always been fascinated about our ?relationship – and they will probably still always ask the same questions.”

Bolero will feature heavily in the final series and in the follow-up tour, which kicks off next March and will visit some new venues across the UK.

And fans may be in for an extra treat… a reprise of the full, original medal-winning routine the couple last performed in their 20s.

Sinnitta rips her partners skating pants

Sinitta rips her partners skating pants on Dancing On Ice(Image: ITV)

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Jayne says: “We’ve constantly evolved the Bolero routine over the years because we like to do new things – not because we’re getting too old for it.

“And we were watching our 1984 performance again the other day when Chris said, ‘I think we’d be able to do ?that, don’t you?’ and I said ‘Yeah… ’ The only bit of it we weren’t really sure about was Chris doing the splits.”

“I think I’d be OK,” he replies in mock self-defence. “I might have to warm into it, limber them up a bit, but I can still cut it.

“We last performed the original back in 1994 as an exhibition at the Olympics and each time we do it, we have to work it up again. But Bolero is certainly our most cherished performance. We’ve done it thousands of times now and I’d like our last on the show and tour to be really poignant.

“We’ve been discussing whether we will ever retire Bolero – perhaps we will stop at some point but what we’ve learned is never to say never now. After all, we ‘retired’ ourselves in 1998, but then Dancing On Ice came along.”

Jayne and Chris certainly look in amazing shape and admit they follow tough workout regimes.

“We’re much, much fitter now,” say Chris. “Especially Jayne. She is a real gym bunny – personal trainer… kettle bell-training.

“I go trail running and road cycling in the countryside near my home in Colorado. We have a lot of bears and mountain lions up there –it keeps you on your toes.”

Chris has battled back from a series of injuries during his career and undergone surgery on his shoulders and arms. Jayne admits she’s been much luckier, but had surgery on her back last year having developed a cyst on her spine “from over-use”.

David Seaman drops his partner

But they are both raring to go for their final series and planning lots of surprises. “We’ve been winding Phillip Schofield up and telling him this is his last chance to get out on the ice himself,” says Chris.

“His wife skates and I think he’s been with her a few times so I don’t think he’s a total novice – in fact he may be keeping his cards close to his chest!”

“We hope a lot of the old competitors will come back too,” says Jayne. “We’ve had some incredible contestants.

“Ray Quinn was up there as one of the best, Chris Fountain was a natural, Hayley Tamaddon loved it and Bonnie Langford was amazing – her lifts were fantastic.”

Chris says: “I’m not going to tell you who I think were the worst – but Todd Carty proved TV gold with his one-two-three trip and skating off set. Joe Pasquale was wonderful, too. He came a long way from where he started, but he wasn’t a natural, bless him. He kept us laughing the whole time though.”

“We’re bound to be very emotional on the final show,” says Jayne. “We want it to feel like a celebration rather than an ending.

“And we have lots of other projects in the pipeline – things we’ve been too busy to do before. There’s a live project we want to pursue and an idea for a charity show and we’re in talks with ITV about another show.”

But Chris admits: “In many ways this does feel like the last hurrah though.

“The other day I was working out on the back of an envelope how far Jayne and I have actually skated together over the years.

“I reckon its easily 250,000 miles – or 10 times round the world. That’s some journey.”

3DAncing on Ice – The Final Tour 2014 starts next March and will see the skating legends perform at arenas across the country, including Manchester, London’s Wembley Arena, Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham, Nottingham and two newly built venues, the Hydro Arena in Glasgow and the First Direct Arena in Leeds. Tickets go on sale this Friday. For venue and ticket details, call