The truth about Dancing on Ice's Torvill and Dean's relationship – 'We did kiss once'

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are judges on DOI


Updated: March 13, 2022

The breathtaking moment when Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean skated to a perfect score in 1984's Sarajevo Winter Olympics has been played the world over – but what's not as well-known is whether Jayne and Chris are a real-life couple.

MORE: Ben Foden's wife hits out at Dancing on Ice: 'Just a popularity competition'

Despite having a joint Instagram account and spending endless time together up close and personal at the rink, this legendary Dancing on Ice duo are not real-life partners off the ice. From the time they did actually share a kiss, to their own marriages, we reveal everything Torvill and Dean have said about their amazing relationship...

WATCH: Dancing on Ice contestant Brendan Cole practises with his daughter in sweet clip

Torvill and Dean on how they first met

Recalling their first meeting to the Radio Times, Jayne said: "My first memory of Chris is seeing him at the ice rink one Saturday afternoon in 1971. He stood out because he was whizzing around so fast and had blonde hair. That’s when I named him the Blonde Prince."

MORE: Dancing on Ice star Ben Foden breaks silence after being first to leave show

MORE: Oti Mabuse's ultra-healthy diet: what the star eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner

© Photo: Getty Images

The pair have been skating together since the 1970s

Torvill and Dean talk on their first (and only) kiss

During the same Radio Times interview, Jayne was quizzed about the relationship rumours and she admitted: "We did actually kiss once – before we were a skating couple. We were in the back of the bus going to a league match, and it just happened. It was a one-off. We never talked about it afterwards. We laugh about it now."

Christopher spoke about this on Piers Morgan's Life Stories and it caused another media storm because he said: "We dabbled," referring to their kiss.

© Photo: Getty Images

Christopher and Jayne are not partners in real-life

MORE: What is Christopher Dean's net worth?

Torvill and Dean on performing together

On ice the pair look so effortless together – and so in love (hence the rumours). However, speaking to the Radio Times, Christopher admitted that it wasn't always as comfortable skating with Jayne: "We were very shy with each other.

"Janet Sawbridge, our coach, made us get into a hold. We were standing nose to nose, hip to hip, and there was nowhere to look except at each other. It felt awkward – for a minute. From then on, both of us wanted to make a go of it."

MORE: Oti Mabuse wows in head-turning outfit for Dancing on Ice

© Photo: Rex

They are both judges on the hit show Dancing on Ice

Torvill and Dean on love and friendship

Jayne married Phil Christensen in 1990, while Christopher has been married twice before and is now in a long-term relationship with Karen Barber (who has also starred as a judge on Dancing on Ice).

In an interview with Northern Life magazine, Christopher said: " We’re really close and the best of friends, we’ve grown up together" and in the Radio Times piece he added: "There is still a romance, though…I love Jayne. But in a passionate friend way."

Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up to Off Camera for all the gossip and goings-on from the wonderful world of TV and film

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More TV and Film

See more