They're arguably the most beloved duo on the ice and have been ever since they nailed their iconic Bolero performance at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, which landed them perfect scores and a gold medal each.
But now, Jayne Torvill, 64, and Christopher Dean, 63, known to the masses as Torvill and Dean, are most frequently seen on ITV's Dancing On Ice where they offer the celebrities their expert training and scores from the judging panel.
After working together closely for a number of years, it's perhaps unsurprising that the duo are extremely close. The pair have shared insight into their friendship – and debunked rumours of a romantic relationship – many times. Here's all there is to know about their bond…
© MirrorpixTorvill and Dean on their early friendship
"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," Jayne told Radio Times. The pair first met when they were just teenagers and were paired together on the ice
Christopher admitted that it wasn't always as comfortable skating with Jayne: "We were very shy with each other," he told Radio Times. "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."
Torvill and Dean discuss their first (and only) kiss
During the same interview, Jayne was quizzed about the relationship rumours. "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 the same incident after being questioned during an episode of Piers Morgan's Life Stories. "We dabbled," he admitted, referring to their kiss.
© Matt FrostOn love and friendship
Christopher is a father to two grown-up children Jack and Sam. He shares his two sons with his ex-wife American skater Jill Trenary. The couple met in the early 1990s and tied the knot in October 1994. In 2010, they announced their separation. He is now in a long-term relationship with Karen Barber, also a trainer on Dancing On Ice.
Before his marriage to Jill, the DOI star was married to French-Canadian World ice dance champion Isabelle Duchesnay, whom he met while helping her and her brother with their choreography. They married in 1991 but divorced in 1993.
MORE: Dancing on Ice star Christopher Dean's family: all we know
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© Jeff SpicerMeanwhile, Jayne has been married to Phil Christensen since 1990 and the couple are parents to two children, Kieran and Jessica.
Both Christopher and Jayne have opened up about whether their partners were ever threatened by their close bond. In a joint interview with the Financial Times, Christopher admitted that his first wife was jealous of his bond with Jayne.
"Someone who doesn't understand [our relationship] could be jealous," Jayne continued. After their divorce, Isabelle reportedly said: "I felt that he had two women in his life.
"Because his work was more important, that automatically made Jayne more important because she was his work."
