And the winner is... Jayne Torvill

Whoever takes top spot in tonight's 'Dancing on Ice', the real story is the way the 1984 Olympic gold medallist has reinvented herself

Jonathan Owen
Sunday 22 March 2009 01:00 GMT
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The champion of TV's Dancing on Ice might be the singer Jessica Taylor, the entertainer Ray Quinn or intrepid reporter Donal MacIntyre. But the real winner? Take a bow, Jayne Torvill, contestants' mentor and former Olympic champion.

When she takes centre stage in a performance of the Bolero routine that shot her and Christopher Dean to gold medal perfection 25 years ago, it will be the crowning moment of a reinvention that has seen her shed frumpy size 14 clothing to emerge in figure-hugging designer outfits at the size 8 of her youth. It has been a remarkable transformation since her return to television screens in 2006 to train celebrities for the show.

"I knew enough was enough when I saw myself on TV in the first series," she said. "Even though I'd lost a few pounds, I was still overweight – and being on screen puts on half a stone. Seeing myself was the kickstart I needed." The past year has seen a dramatic change, with the results capturing the attention of millions watching the current series.

The 51-year-old mother of two, who is being paid £250,000 for this year's series, hired a personal trainer for six months last year and followed a low-fat diet which saw her lose a stone in weight. She weighs eight stone – "and that is where I'm going to stay".

She is making the most of her weight loss by promoting a new fitness DVD which shows her working out with her "Bolero burn" routine.

"It worked," she says. "I look slimmer and people tell me I seem younger. I used to buy baggy clothes that covered me up," she says. "Now I'm not scared of wearing something fitted. I want to show off my new shape."

She now has her own stylist and, instead of shopping at her old haunts, Marks & Spencer and Hobbs, is now more likely to wear dresses from Marcelaine, Jovani or Whistles.

She is the latest to suggest that a "Dancing on Ice effect" has led to an improvement in her appearance and fitness as a result of the punishing regime of taking part in the show.

Jessica Taylor, formerly of Liberty X and married to the England cricketer Kevin Pietersen, said: "My whole body is tight and toned, and I am so much fitter and stronger. I have a lot more of a six-pack than I did. I didn't have anything before."

Last year's winner, Suzanne Shaw, said: "I've lost 1st 3lb and dropped to a size 8 thanks to the show. I'm incredibly lean now. My bum has really toned up: it's much firmer and higher than it was before."

Not everyone is a fan of Ms Torvill's new look, though. One website posting said: "Throughout Dancing on Ice, Jayne Torvill has been dressing in an increasingly inappropriate way, culminating on Sunday with an outfit that she appeared to have stolen from a teenage girl.

"If Dancing on Ice had lasted just a month longer, we swear we'd be seeing her in a nappy and bib."

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