Exclusive - Dancing on Ice's Torvill and Dean on how COVID-19 has changed their experience on the show this year
The Dancing on Ice head judges have opened up about the changes made to this year's competition in light of COVID-19.
Dancing on Ice judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have revealed how this year has differed to previous series for them due to the pandemic, with Dean saying he's found it hard to be 'gentlemanly' during COVID.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview, the pair said that filming Dancing on Ice during the coronavirus pandemic has "had its challenges".
"Obviously, we had to do all our skating performances before Christmas and when we go to the live shows on the weekend now, we have to be like everybody else and distance from everybody," Dean said.
"There's a lot of protocols so you know, silly little things like I'll open the door and help Jane down the step or something like that but I can't do any of that now. It's hard to be a gentleman during COVID.
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"So it's just, you know, protocols and it's not the ideal but we'll get through this and we're just so happy that we're able to put on a live performance because I think people at home, they're craving other things to be able to watch.
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"There are reruns but I think everybody turns to TV whether it's through the computer or on the TV," he added.
"I think with Dancing on Ice, with that two hours that it's on, it's nice for families to sit down and just forget about things for a short period of time and hopefully it sort of has a warm familiar feeling that brings that warmth into the home."
The long-running ITV show suffered its first COVID-related withdrawal this week when comedian Rufus Hound dropped out of the competition after testing positive for coronavirus.
Dancing on Ice continues on Sunday at 6pm. Find out who else is taking part with our Dancing on Ice 2021 line-up guide. If you’re looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide.
