Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean believe new 'Dancing On Ice' judge John Barrowman will bring a lot of "enthusiasm and excitement" to the show.
Torvill and Dean at The National Lottery Awards
The Olympics gold medal winning ice skating duo will be joined by the former 'Doctor Who' actor on the panel when the ITV figure skating show returns to screens in early 2020, with John replacing departed judge Jason Gardiner.
And the pair are confident John, 52, will be a great addition because he's been a star on stage and screen and is in a unique position as to critique the contestants because he competed on the first ever series of 'Dancing On Ice' back in 2006.
Speaking at The National Lottery Awards in London on Tuesday evening (15.10.19), Dean exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "John's all round entertainer, isn't he, he brings everything. He's a dancer, a raconteur, he's been a judge before and he's done skating before so he brings a lot of knowledge and a lot of enthusiasm and excitement."
Jason, 47, announced his departure from 'Dancing On Ice' in August 2019 to pursue other projects.
He said: After all these years I feel it's time to say goodbye to my judging role and return to things I have been putting on hold for a while."
Torvill, 62, and Dean, 61, joined the judging panel in 2018 after previously acting as coaches to the celebrity contestants in the previous series.
They have already had a chance to cast their eye over the skating skills of the next crop of celebrities to take to the ice, who include Caprice, Maura Higgins and Joe Swash among others, and as always they can see the stars are wondering what they have signed up for.
Dean said: "I think everybody's taken to the ice now and, they've gone, 'Why have I signed up to do this.' The reality is setting in now, I think."
Torvill added: "Yeah, this is the time of year they work with a coach and they do 30 hours a week. It's all pretty basic stuff but it's really important. So, I think a few of them are ready to start working with their partner."
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