Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have announced a major change to Dancing on Ice after this series (Image: PA/ITV)

Dancing on Ice's Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean's shock announcement hours before ITV show's return

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Dancing On Ice legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have made the bittersweet announcement that they will perform for the final time on live television in the upcoming series of the ITV show which will return for its 17th season tomorrow night on Jan 12.

The award winning skating duo admitted that they believe they are 'too old' to continue with live performances.

The pair, renowned for their graceful presence on the ice, have chalked up an impressive 16 gold medals across World, European, and British Figure Skating Championships before they originally retired from competitive skating in 1998, the Express reports.

Torvill and Dean have been with Dancing on Ice since its first series - and will no longer perform on the show from next year (Image: ITV/PA)

Their pinnacle moment was when they captured gold at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics with a spellbinding routine to Maurice Ravel's Bolero - a performance watched by 24 million people, sealing its place as a truly unforgettable event in British television history.

Despite their retirement from competitive sports, Torvill and Dean have been staples on Dancing on Ice since it first aired in 2006. However, the duo has now decided this season will see their last live skate on the show.

Christopher explained: "This will be our last live skate - here on Dancing on Ice," and noted: “We're doing our last tour this year as well so once we've finished our last skate on tour, we won't be performing again. There are lots of endings."

At 66, Christopher voiced a readiness shared with partner Jayne, who is 67, to hang up their skates after a partnership spanning over five decades.

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As stated in the Mirror, he said: "We've been doing it a long time and people our age shouldn't be doing it now," expressing gratitude that they continue to skate into their golden years: "So we're just happy that we can still do it."

Iconic skating duo Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have announced they will step back from performing on Dancing on Ice but will continue their roles as judges alongside Diversity's Ashley Banjo and former Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse.

Reflecting on the show's history, Jayne said: "Dancing on Ice feels like our baby because we were approached by ITV in the early days and we came up with this format together of how it might work.

"We didn't know much about TV but they didn't know how skating works so together, the programme developed and it's great that we were there from the beginning."

Jayne and Christopher posing at the Winter Olympics in 1984 (Image: Bob Thomas/Getty Images)

With their performance days now over, Christopher has embraced a surprising new hobby, inspired by David Beckham: "I've taken up beekeeping. It sounds like a good thing to do," he shared, clearly enchanted by the idyllic nature of the pastime.

The glamorous ice-skating competition, presented by Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern, features celebrities such as EastEnders' Charlie Brooks, former footballer Anton Ferdinand, The Traitors' Mollie Pearce, broadcaster Michaela Strachan, and Olympic gold medallist Steve Redgrave in this year's line up.

The judges have noted high skill levels among the 2025 participants, with Coronation Street actor Sam Aston standing out for his impressive performances.

Chris added: "Sam has taken to it quite naturally," about the actor who plays Chesney, while Jayne observed: "I was impressed by Anton as well. I like his attitude because of his football background."

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