Ice judge role for Torvill and Dean
DANCING ON ICE is set to make a triumphant comeback when it returns to our screens on January 6 after an interval of four years.
The rebooted ITV show sees a few familiar faces return with
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield back on hosting duties but this time ice-skating royalty Torvill and Dean are swapping their roles as choreographers and mentors to become judges.
When Day & Night caught up with Olympic medallists Jayne
Torvill and Christopher Dean they told us how they were dealing with their new job.
“It’s a big change for us,” admits Christopher, 59, who joins returning judge Jason
Gardiner and new recruit, Diversity’s Ashley Banjo, to form the panel.
“We did all the choreography and the skating before and we worked with the professionals and mentored and coached them. But now we have the hot seat and are sitting in judgment you might say.”
His skating partner of 43 years agrees that the workload is much lighter now they don’t have to spend all week getting the competitors up to scratch.
“When we choreographed we had a lot of pressure to get everybody’s routine ready.
“On the Sunday when the show went out live it was a bit more relaxed for us. Our job was done,” says Jayne, 60.
“This time, Sunday is going to be our pressure day but it is only one day.”
And when pressed on which celeb they think has the potential to win Christopher says: “I have seen Candice Brown from Bake Off and she is pretty competitive.”
But we know that already!