Jayne Torvill and Christopher have opened up about rumours that have been circling about ITV’s Dancing On Ice, where they sit on the judging panel alongside Ashley Banjo and Oti Mabuse.
The Olympians, who won gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics and became the highest scoring figure skaters of all time, spoke to The Sun about the accusations that have amassed recently.
The speculations have surfaced after Coronation Street ’s Sally Dynevor and Happy Mondays’ Bez were kept in the ice skating competition over “better” skaters, sparking fans to wonder whether it was because they are a fan favourite or work for ITV.
When asked about this, the skating duo brushed off the claims and Jayne said that they are “used to” hearing things like that, before agreeing that they’re “bored” of hearing about it.
“There’s a sort of fascination for entertainment factor characters like Bez, who every show has, and it’s just about how long they sustain. Eventually the audience decides how long it’s going to last,” Dean told The Sun.
He added: “Bez did really well, he wanted to do his best and there was a lot of production and a lot of entertainment value.”
“We’re just judging what we see, but the majority of the time, it’s the viewers at home that are voting to keep people in,” he concluded.
Votes from the viewers make up 50 percent of the skater’s overall scores, with the judges’ verdict making up the other half.
Torvill and Dean also touched upon the show’s usual complaints about contestants that have an “advantage” over other players, for example if they are trained in dance or come from a performing arts background.
Kimberly Wyatt, former Pussycat Doll and professional dancer, Brendan Cole, former Strictly Come Dancing star and ballroom professional, and Regan Gascoigne, a professional dancer with a ballet and performing arts background, have all come under fire for their involvement in the show.
In retaliation to this, Chris and Jayne noted that in 2019, former Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan was “very weak, very poor” at the beginning, and it was only due to his “hard work” that he got into the final.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
