All week, Dancing On Ice star, actress Hayley Tamaddon, had been “petrified” that one mistake performing the dreaded “headbanger” live on the show could scupper her chances of glory. Not to mention cause the 33 year-old former Emmerdale actress serious injury. So much so that she’d spent the week training for it wearing a crash helmet.
Dancing On Ice coach Jayne Torvill nearly cut off her partner Christopher Dean’s thumb rehearsing the move.
But when it came to the crunch on last night’s live show (07.02.2010) it wasn’t the hair raising “headbanger” in which Hayley was swung by the ankles by her partner Daniel Whiston with her head just inches from the ground that saw her fall flat on her face- but a far tamer move altogether..
The heart stopping moment happened halfway through the couple’s routine, well ahead of the planned “headbanger” finale, when a botched dismount from a routine stag lift saw them crash to the floor.
Despite the shock setback the couple soldiered on. In the end they were rewarded with the highest score of the night, notching an overall total of 21 from the show’s five judges whose marks consisted of two 4.5s and three 4s. Six is the maximum any judge can give.
Speaking immediately after the incident a clearly shaken Hayley who cut her arm during the fall told presenters Phillip Schofiled and Holly Willoughby: "It's all right. It's more shock than anything. I banged my head, though."
Keen to absolve her of any blame her partner, pro skater and childhood friend Daniel Whiston took full responsibility for the accident. He also praised her courage for being such a trouper..
"She's so brave. She just went 'Let's do it' and carried on, “ he said. “Which was brilliant. Well done. A lot of professionals, that would have really hit them."
Christopher Dean said: "These two are so well polished if they make a mistake like that they get right backup and finish that performance in the way that they did. "
Commenting on their Ice panel scores judge Karen Barber 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. “ She then went on to dismiss the crash landing as “just a little fall.”
Ice panel captain, Olympic and European skater Robin Cousin added that, the fall apart the rest of the routine was "sensational.” He also dsimissed the glitch saying: “We’ll have forgotten this in a couple of weeks time.”
After the remaining contestants has completed their routines Hayley then went onto avoid being in the bottom two skate off for survival. In the public vote off Paul McCartney’s ex-wife Heather Mills and Hollyoaks star Kieron Richardson were forced to skate again. Mills lost out to become the latest celebrity to exit the show after judges voted 4-1 in favour of keeping the 24 year-old actor in the show.
The turnaround in fortunes saw Hayley who is joint bookies favourite to win the show with Boyzone star Mikey Graham, topped the leader board on the night.
It must also have left the other celebs (including Mills who was scored low for technical presentation in her original programme) wondering just what it will take to beat the young actress.
TV viewers must also have been left scratching their heads at how such a spectacular mistake could see the routine still merit such high marks.
Nine celebrities, including Hayley are now left in the competition to compete for the title of Dancing On Ice champ 2010.
