Dancing on Ice's Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean bid emotional farewell in shock update

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, the iconic Dancing on Ice duo and Olympic champions, have announced they will perform for the last time on live television in the upcoming series of the show, conceding that they are 'too old' to carry on performing.

Renowned for their outstanding success, the British ice dancing pair have acquired 16 gold medals from their sterling performances at World, European, and British Figure Skating Championships before retiring in 1998.

Their unforgettable gold medal victory at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics secured a place in the hearts of the nation; indeed, their routine set to Maurice Ravel's Bolero captivated 24 million viewers, making it one of Britain's most-watched TV moments.

Although they've been regular fixtures on Dancing on Ice since its inception in 2006, Torvill, 67, and Dean, 66, are deciding to gracefully exit the spotlight after this season, reports the Mirror.

Confirming their final live performance, Dean disclosed: "This will be our last live skate - here on Dancing on Ice.

"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."

Dean reflected on the conclusion of their longstanding partnership on the ice, expressing contentment but admitting: "We've been doing it a long time and people our age shouldn't be doing it now. So we're just happy that we can still do it."

Torvill and Dean have announced they will no longer be performing on Dancing on Ice but will maintain their presence as judges, joining Diversity's Ashley Banjo and ex-Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse on the panel.

"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," Torvill remarked.

"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."

Dean shared his post-skating plans, which include a hobby famously taken up by David Beckham, saying: "I've taken up beekeeping. It sounds like a good thing to do. It just sounds so idyllic. It's outdoors, it's gentle."

The new series of Dancing on Ice, presented by Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern, features celebrities such as EastEnders' Charlie Brooks, footballer Anton Ferdinand, The Traitors' Mollie Pearce, broadcaster Michaela Strachan, and Olympic rower Steve Redgrave.

Torvill and Dean have noted that the standard of skating is "quite high" this time around, with Coronation Street's Sam Aston showing particular promise.

"Sam has taken to it quite naturally," Dean observed about the actor who plays Chesney.

Torvill also expressed her admiration for another contestant, adding: "I was impressed by Anton as well. I like his attitude because of his football background."

Dancing on Ice returns on Sunday at 6:30pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.