Pop pixie Pixie Lott was a surprise special guest on tonight’s Dancing On Ice. But as usual it was the ice skating celebs who took centre stage. The girls in particular were the focus of attention as bookies favourite Hayley ‘headbanger’ Tamaddon crashed to the floor, and Paul McCartney’s ex-wife Heather Mills headed for the exit door,
First up for the girls in a drama packed live show was charity campaigner and former model Heather who lost her leg after being hit by a motorcycle in 1993. Tonight’s required element in all the stars' routines was a pairs spin which was always going to prove tricky for Heather who had pulled a hamstring during rehearsals and wears a prosthetic leg on the show
Dressed in a spangly cat suit she took to the ice with partner Matt Evers, dancing to Aretha Franklin classic Chain Of Fools.
As usual watching her and every other celebs’ moves were the Ice panel judges, former Spice Girl Emma Bunton, European and Olympic ice skating champion Robin Cousins; D.O.I. Mr. Nasty Jason Gardiner and former skating partners Nicky Slater and assistant coach to the couples, Karen Barber.
Heather’s programme contained an upside down pike and tick tock lift into a tuck as well as the required element.
Giving her verdict Karen who marked lowest of all the judges with 2.5 said: “ I took 0.5 off because it was just one rotation on the required element and I would have loved to have given a higher mark. But it’s a better week; you are more prepared. You were steadier on your feet. There was a lot more about it than there was last week.”
Jason told Heather: “Last week was so shaky and uncertain but this week I was quite impressed with the control that you actually displayed on the ice. I thought there was great connection between you and Matt because of that. You weren’t gripping on for dear life a lot of the time.” He then offered Heather this advice: “In the lifts make sure you lift up in the chin- extend the neck line. Other than that-not bad.”
Robin added of the performance: “Maybe what doesn’t come across at home is the speed and attack with which the two of you, not just Matt, use across this ice. Not bad at all. Well done.” Later Heather queried Karen’s assessment that she hadn’t completed the required element correctly but to no avail.
Next up was comedy actress Inbetweeners star Emily Atack who has been dismayed at her run of low scores and was determined to get higher up the leader board. So could she make it?
Dressed in puffball peppermint and resembling a young Brigitte Bardot she and partner Fred Palascak performed a routine featuring a yoga lift; back crossovers and big table top lift to finish
Emma was certainly impressed, gushing : “You looked confident, you looked sexy. Where has this Emily been?, “ she said. “I know you found it really difficult last week but look what happened. We have to give you constructive criticism and you can get better. I’m so pleased for you and love that you skated on your own because you’ve just shown me that you’re a brilliant skater.”
Nicky was full of praise too. He told Emily: “.I loved the way that you were daring to present and stretch out. There’s more to come. It’s the linking of the movements now. But this is a big step forward. Link it altogether, make it smooth, look into his eyes and tell us a story then the marks will go even higher.”
Jason added to the love-in telling Emily : “I think by far this was your best week. Finally you’re coming out there and you’re putting it all together. What I will say though, is just watch the arms-they don’t develop at all they’re just here or there. So I want you to get more fluidity in the arms. At the very top you had a great little story; it was very coquettish but you kind of lost a bit of the story as you get into the technical requirements. ” To a chorus of boos he then asked Emily if she had an underbite, due to the way she holds her chin. (Ouch, easy Jason. You’d think after having to publicly apologise for last week’s personal comments about Sharron Davies looking like “faecal matter” he’d have learned his lesson.)
After that it was indeed swimming star Sharron Davies turn. Having avoided the skate off last week, Jason aside Sharron had been having a pretty good week all round confidencewise. But would it translate to her dancing?.
Much had been made of trying to get more grace into 6ft Sharron’s moves and she and partner Pavel Aubrecht were hoping that this week’s slow routine, performed to Tracy Chapman hit Fast Car would do just that. And it did as dressed in a purple swimming costume style outfit she managed to pull out her best score yet.
Nicky told the former Olympic swimmer: “You’re a tall couple so you have presence on the ice. And when you get into those lovely positions which you did in part of that routine, it has a lovely flow for me." He warned Sharron however, that he felt at times her arm was a little ungainly, adding;” That’s why ballet classes would be great for you but it is coming on and your general skating is covering a lot of ice and has quality and I like that.”
As the audience waited with baited breath for what Jason would make of it all he avoided any controversy, stating: “What a difference a week can make. I actually saw in places that there was some real grace. I think that you have an improved leg line, certainly in your arabesque lines. There’s still a problem with your upper body. Sometime’s your upper body is very stiff and it’s like it’s made of iron, and then other times its subtle and just relaxes. You need to extend beyond yourself, even though you are rather large. (We reckon he meant tall, didn’t you Jase?)
Then it was the turn of joint bookies favourite Emmerdale’s Hayley Tamaddon, whose routine featured one of the toughest moves contestants get on Dancing On Ice: the headbanger. The move requires her partner Daniel Whiston to swing her up and down from her ankles with her head only inches from the ice and Daniel said it is even dreaded even by pro skaters.
Skating to Just Dance by Lady GaGa however it wasn’t the headbanger finale that proved her undoing, but an upside down stag lift that saw the couple crumbled to a heap on the ice halfway through their routine. Undeterred they persevered and finished with a whopping score of 21 that most fans would have been left scratching their heads at.
Daniel explained the crash was his fault as he had hit a grip or a sequin on the ice. Almost in tears and nursing a scraped arm Hayley listened intently as the judges explained their scores of 4.5,4.5, 4, 4 and 4.
Karen said: “Not great to see that. You never know what’s going to happen do you, so I brought it down 0.5 because of the fall, but the quality is there. The tricks were fantastic, the spin had the required turns- for me there was so much good about it- just a little fall.”
Robin said apart from the fall the rest of the routine was "sensational.” He added of the fall: “We’ll have forgotten this in a couple of weeks time.”
Finally last up for the girls was Danniella Westbrook and partner Matthew Gonzales. Taking on the tango to Dance With Me Danniella looked sizzling hot in a red lace see through number but could the performance match it? The panel thought so as a hot to trot routine with upside down rotating sash to finish gave the couple their best score of the series so far with 20.
Emma said: ”The tango is one of my favourite ballroom dances and you’re brilliant, so I was expecting a lot and we were nearly, nearly there. I thought some of it needed a little bit more attack and a bit sexier. But otherwise your performances are always strong and you can see you put a lot into it. So well done.”
Robin added: “What we saw was a completely different side of you to last week and you’re showing the audience that you’re capable of a lot.”
In the end it was Heather who headed for the exit after losing when judges voted to keep 24 year-old Hollyoaks actor Kieron ricardson after the pair found themselves competing in the skate off.
