WELSH SKATER JOINS CELEB SHOW
HE’S the proud Welshman who took French citizenship to make his Olympic dream come true. But Lloyd Jones is hoping he can rely on his Cardiff roots for support when he takes on “a different kind of pressure” – and swaps the Winter Olympics for the small screen challenge of Dancing on Ice.
The champion ice skater is one of the professionals who will appear on the show when it returns to ITV next year following a three-year hiatus.
Lloyd, 29, will be performing with actress and presenter Donna Air in front of judges Jason Gardiner, Diversity founder Ashley Banjo and ice skating royalty Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
Presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby are also back for the series, which is rumoured to be starting in January.
Olympic skater Lloyd gushed about his socialite partner, who is the ex-girlfriend of the Duchess of Cambridge’s younger brother James.
On finding out about being partnered with Donna he said: “I was absolutely thrilled. She seems like a lovely person.
“She posted a video of her skating on her Instagram. It’s the first time I have seen her skate and she looks fantastic. She looks stunning out there on the ice.”
Lloyd, who went to Whitchurch High School, started skating at the age of five and has gone on to win several international competitions.
Despite being Welsh, in 2014 he represented France at the Sochi Winter Olympics with Pernelle Carron after gaining citizenship in the country.
Since then he has toured the world appearing in ice dancing shows in front of packed audiences.
He always wanted to join Dancing on Ice and finally got the chance to audition earlier this year.
He said: “I just stopped competing when it went off the air.
“When I heard it was coming back I thought ‘I would love to get a shot at doing that one’.
“I went down for an audition and at the end of summer got a call saying I was going to be on the show.”
ITV announced the full line-up of the 12 celebrities and their partners on Friday.
Bake Off winner Candice Brown, cricketer Monty Panesar, Bucks Fizz member Cheryl Baker and Coronation Street’s Brooke Vincent are among the celebrities involved.
Lloyd said he was ready to face the pressure of performing live on TV and was keen to “convince” former Byker Grove star Donna, 38, to attempt some of the harder lifts.
He added: “When she signed the contract I don’t think she realised there was a move called the headbanger.
“She seemed a bit surprised about that.”
The pair will begin training together this month but until then are under strict orders to have no contact to ensure all participants are on a level playing field.
Lloyd will be responsible for coming up with a weekly routine and coaching Donna.
But Lloyd, whose parents still live in Whitchurch, is an experienced coach with his own business and regularly teaches people at the Cardiff Ice Arena.
He said: “I love skating and perform- ing as much as I love coaching people.”
He added: “I think Dancing on Ice will be different. When you do the Olympic Games you train all your life for that moment. That’s a lot of pressure.
“But this is definitely different and will be a change of pace for me. It’s a different kind of pressure.
“It’s completely new to me but I will take it one step at a time. “All you can do is prepare. “There is a great team of people behind it who are a lot of fun to work with.”
Despite travelling the world for many years Lloyd said he still feels “100% Welsh” and can’t wait for his family to see him on screen.
He added: “For me and my family it’s a great opportunity. It’s not like they can always see me in shows so for them and my grandparents it’s a chance for them to watch me.”