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Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean hold farewell show

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean hold farewell show

The iconic duo, who are from Nottingham themselves, have been skating together for around 50 years.
It was 41 years ago that they won gold at the 1984 Winter Games.
Now, the pair has taken part in their final ice skating show, with fans left "emotional" after the event.
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have retired (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)
Torvill and Dean's farewell show was at the Nottingham Arena, bringing their stellar career to an end in the city where it started.
Their performance came just days after a rink at the National Ice Centre in the city was named after them.
The show was the last as part of their "Our Last Dance" farewell tour, which began in London in April.
It has been at nine venues across the country.
The now-household name most notably won gold at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics.
They became the highest-scoring figure skaters of all time for a single programme.
Since 2018, they have been Head Judges on Dancing on Ice, alongside Judges Ashley Banjo and Oti Mabuse.
The ice skating pair took to social media to share a picture of themselves following their final show.
It was posted with the caption: "We've just danced Bolero for the final time. Thank you, Nottingham. #OurLastDance."
A post shared by Torvill and Dean (@torvillanddeanofficial)
Fellow Dancing on Ice Judge Ashley Banjo replied: "Icons… Thank you for everything guys."
Other fans also took to the comments to thank the duo.
One said: "What a beautifully happy photo. An amazing, amazing and emotional last performance. Feel honoured to have seen it. My heart is melted."
Another replied: "What a privilege it was seeing this whole show live, truly incredible. Thank you."
A third fan said: "What an amazing and emotional evening - still crazy after all these years. Thank you for a lifetime of memories."
Torvill and Dean announced their retirement from skating last year, revealing that they would be touring one final time.
On announcing their retirement, Dean said: 'I think there comes a time when you know.
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'We're not spring chickens any more but we're still able to do it to a certain degree that we feel good about it but that will go.
'So I think this is the right time for us to be able to do that and go and skate and do some of the old routines, be very nostalgic, but then do some new fun, upbeat (dances) with friends of ours from the skating world and from Dancing On Ice.
'We're looking at it as a celebration.'
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The greatest showmance! As Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean retire, how their intense bond sparked years of romance rumours - despite both marrying other people
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  • Daily Mail​

The greatest showmance! As Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean retire, how their intense bond sparked years of romance rumours - despite both marrying other people

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have performed for the last time together after retiring from ice skating, four decades on from their gold win at the 1984 Winter Olympics. They've long impressed audiences with their sizzling chemistry and tactile performances before winning a new legion of fans as the faces of ITV 's Dancing On Ice. But throughout their impressive career, there has been long-standing speculation as to the nature of their relationship. Both the British skaters are in committed relationships; Jayne, 67, has been wed to Phil Christiansen since 1990, and Christopher, 66, was married twice before beginning a relationship with Dancing On Ice co-star Karen Barber in 2011. Yet fans have often believed their is more to the bond - particularly after the pair shared a smooch during their trip to Sarajevo in 2024, to commemorate 40 years since winning gold at the 1984 games held in Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital. 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Yet Christopher and Jayne have only 'crossed the line' in their relationship once, when they were younger, according to the pair themselves, and never slept together. Christopher told the High Performance podcast in 2024: 'When we were younger, we were sort of, for a minute [crossed a line], but it didn't last very long. ' I think we just eventually got into that place where we knew that we were the best of friends. I think that mutual friendship has got us to this point now, 50 years later.' Jayne added: 'Quite often we get asked, "What's the secret of your friendship, relationship?"... we never got married,' before Christopher insisted: 'Don't sleep with each other.' However, Christopher has previously explained that their 'unique' relationship is 'not like brother and sister' nor like 'husband and wife'. 'We still have a great spark and chemistry,' Jayne added in the interview with the Mirror. 'And we enjoy each other's company but we have other partners as well.' Fans have often believed their is more to the pair's bond - particularly after the pair shared a smooch during their trip to Sarajevo in 2024 (pictured), to commemorate 40 years since winning gold at the 1984 games held in Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital The pair have often teased a kiss as part of their routine choreography on the ice. Pictured performing when they were younger The pair became international stars after receiving 12 perfect sixes while skating to Maurice Ravel's Boléro at the Zetra Olympic Hall in Bosnia and Herzegovina, prompting a standing ovation. It was watched on television by 24 million people in the UK and one month later they received an even better score at the World Championships. But suspicions about their relationship were roused as soon as they snagged the gold medal - and despite both being in respective relationships, their affectionate performances on the ice have continued to spark romance rumours. One of Christopher's exes even previously hit out that their marriage had a third person in it. His first wife, Isabelle Duchesnay, was famously jealous of Jayne and referred to her as the 'other woman' in their marriage. 'I think that's where Princess Diana got her remark about three people in her marriage from!' Christopher previously joked. 'The trouble was Isabelle didn't want me to go on skating.' Jayne continued. 'That was a bit selfish of her.' Speaking to the Mirror, Christopher also revealed that while the sporting pair seriously considered trying to have a relationship together when they were younger, they ultimately decided to put their careers first. 'We got close but at some point realised that we weren't going to make a relationship off the ice in terms of a romantic one,' he said. 'We had seen a lot of partnerships fail. The skating was everything and having a relationship just didn't occur to us.' 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Jayne has said that she recalls seeing her future partner whizzing across the ice in 1971 - when she was 14 - and nicknaming him the 'Blond Prince'. However they officially met at a Nottingham ice-rink when Christopher was still a 16-year-old police cadet and Jayne was an insurance clerk. Both were skating solo for some time, but by 1975, coach Janet Sawbridge decided to try and see what their chemistry could be like together. To this day, their lasting closeness with one another has proven to be a hit with the public. Their infamous non-romance has even been recreated for the screen in a passionate 2018 biopic. 'The whole world wants to know if we were in love,' Jayne told the Daily Mail in 2008. However, the duo are both in committed long-term relationships. Jayne has been wed to Phil Christiansen since 1990, and Christopher was married to American skater Jill Trenary from 1994 to 2010. He has been in a relationship with ice dancer Karen Barber since 2011. Following the end of their competitive career, Torvill and Dean started coaching and choreographing and regularly toured, before becoming the faces of ITV's reality show Dancing on Ice in 2006. The show went on hiatus in 2014 and when it was revived in 2018 they returned as head judges before announcing their retirement from skating together in 2024, and their farewell tour. Following the end of their competitive career, Torvill and Dean started coaching and choreographing and regularly toured, before becoming the faces of ITV's reality show Dancing on Ice in 2006. Pictured on Dancing on Ice in 2014 They performed their tour, Torvill and Dean: Our Last Dance, from April 12 to May 11, 2025 with dates in London, Belfast, Newcastle and Glasgow. 'I think there comes a time when you know,' said Christopher before the tour. 'We're not spring chickens anymore but we're still able to do it to a certain degree that we feel good about it but that will go. 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Metro

timea day ago

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