Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, the legendary skating pair known as Torvill and Dean, have opened up about hanging up their skates for good as they discuss retirement plans after an astonishing 41 years since their Olympic Gold win.

The magical moment that skyrocketed them to fame was their unforgettable performance to Ravel’s Bolero during the 1984 Winter Games in the Zetra Olympic Hall, Sarajevo, which has remained a highlight in the history of professional skating.

Now, after a partnership that spans more than half a century, the ice dancing legends revealed on ITV’s This Morning with Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond on Friday (14 February) that they are stepping back from professional skating.

Alison expressed dismay at Jayne and Christopher’s decision asking, with great emotion: “Why?! Why are we doing this?! Do we need to do this?!”

To which Christopher responded, explaining the rationale behind their retirement: “Erm, we do! It’s been 50 years. Because, we still feel we’re at a standard where we can still go out and perform but that’s decreasing all of the time.”

He lightheartedly added: “So, we wanted to be able to end on a high. So, we’ve got our bus passes, we can get to the ice rink on time!”

Having announced last year that they would be retiring, Christopher and Jayne also disclosed their intentions to give fans one last hurrah with a final UK tour in 2025, featuring performances in multiple cities including Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow, reports Wales Online.

Upon announcing their step back from the limelight, Christopher disclosed that he and Jayne believe it’s simply “the right time” to hang up their professional skates.

“I think there comes a time when you know. We’re not spring chickens any more. We’re still able to do it to a certain degree that we feel good about it, but that will go,” he confessed.

Reflecting on their forthcoming tour, he continued: “So I think this is the right time for us to be able to do that and go and skate and do some of the old routines, be very nostalgic, but then do some new fun, upbeat (dances) with friends of ours from the skating world and from Dancing On Ice. We’re looking at it as a celebration.”

This Morning airs on weekdays on ITV1 at 10am.

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