TV’s Ultimate Dream Team
For many, glittering presenting partners Holly and Phil are the icing on the Dancing On Ice cake – and they love the show too!
“I have found a new appreciation for this kind of show, now my children enjoy it”
Sequins, skating and celebs… Dancing on Ice is exactly what we needed to brighten up our Sunday nights!
With fans delighted at the show’s new look, we’re thrilled that Holly and Phil are still at the helm, and the pair are equally excited to see one of their favourite shows back on screen.
“Holly and I are so excited to be back!” says Phillip. “We obviously spend a lot of time in the make-up room of This Morning and we’ve been talking about the new series a lot. It’s been a lovely opportunity to be able to relaunch.”
Holly loves the fact her own children are now old enough to come along and be part of the Dancing on Ice experience themselves.
“What is really nice is I have found a new appreciation for this kind of show – which I love – since having the kids. It is nice that my children are now old enough to come and watch and enjoy DOI.”
As This Morning viewers will know, Holly and Phil are ITV’s dream team so it was no surprise that producers wanted them to reunite to present Dancing On Ice.
As good friends off screen as they are on screen, the pair say they love working together all week long.
“I have never had a cross word with Holly, we’ve never even had a tiff,” explains Phil. “It’s like doing it with your best friend or sister. She is like my younger sister. We get on so well. Same sense of humour. Same values. Same thoughts. “We go out occasionally, just to chew the fat. Holly knows more about me than most people and I know more about Holly than most people. We just sit and chat. We trust each other implicitly and that’s really important for all mates – and that’s why it’s fun to go to work.”
This year’s judging panel has had a bit of a shake-up with the introduction of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, as well as Ashley Banjo. However, Dancing On Ice just wouldn’t be the same without Jason Gardiner, so no one was too surprised at his return.
“The blend is really good,” declares Holly. “People know what Jason is like now. If it was me and he was critiquing me, I would be disappointed if he didn’t say something like that! You want him to do a Jason on you!”
Of course, it’s not all sequins and showbiz – right up there with The Jump, Dancing on Ice has to be one of the most dangerous reality shows on TV for the brave celebs who sign up. Phil agrees that the show is not without that hint of danger…
“On Dancing on Ice there’s always that consideration that someone is going to fall over – and we all love that. It’s lovely to see someone go down provided they are not hurt. That’s the principal thing. If someone slips over, that’s fine. It’s ice. Of course they are going to do that and everybody loves it.
“However, the last thing you want is for anybody to get hurt. And yes, it does make me nervous. I mean, we’ve got all sorts of procedures in place – if somebody falls over, how we deal with it and how it is covered on the telly and how we have to reassure the viewers. There are all sorts of things that we’ve got to do.
“Thankfully we have had to use those very, very seldom.”
So it may be too early to tell who’s in the running to be this year’s winner but whoever lifts the trophy has big skates to fill after all the great winners we’ve had previously. Any particular favourites?
“I loved Ray Quinn,” says Holly. “He was so amazing and a great skater. I kept thinking, ‘You could have done this. Skating could have been your thing’.”