It’s the second week of Dancing On Ice, and tonight six new celebrities took to the ice for the very first time!
With the shock elimination of Pamela Anderson last weekend, it proved that no one is safe! Tonight, Gareth Thomas, Lauren Goodger, Anthea Turner, Joe Pasquale, Baroness Oona King and Luke Campbell all skated for the first time – who impressed?
The show opened tonight with all eleven remaining dancers skating with their professional partners to Pixie Lott’s All About Tonight. We were also introduced to the judges, Robin Cousins, Jason Gardiner, Karen Barber and Ashley Roberts.
First up to the ice was Welsh rugby legend Gareth Thomas and his partner Robin Johnstone. In his VT, we saw him take part in a ballet class, and he said he found it difficult to be graceful, having spent all his life playing rugby and tackling on the field. They skated to All The Things That I’ve Done by The Killers. They performed it well. We saw a frog-lift, a low-spin and twirls. They scored 22.5. Robyn Cousins said: “It was strong and powerful. I can see why you were marked down, but I have to give you credit for what your feet were doing.” Jason Gardiner said: “I’m not getting enough of the light and shade, but you will go far in this competition.” Gareth was happy with his performance but admitted he was nervous.
Next to face the ice was The Only Way Is Essex star Lauren Goodger and her partner Michael Zenezini. In her VT we saw her ice skating for the first time and trying not to fall down! Lauren found rehearsals very tough. In dress rehearsal she fell twice and that knocked her confidence. Their song was Girl On Fire by Alicia Keys. They began with Lauren lying on the ice, and then went on the incorporated a few lifts into the performance, crossovers and spirals. They scored 15, which isn’t bad for someone who has never skated before! Robin said: “You did the steps as you were given. The limited steps you did was right, but you have to be confident in what you’re doing.” Jason said: “It was very robotic, there was no connection and no passion. Very disappointing.” Ashley said: “You were skating to a piece about a girl on fire, I wanted to see passion. But, I want to see you progress.” Karen said: “There’s a lot more to give.”
Joe Pasquale and his partner Vicky Ogden was next, and the comedian was very excited! In his VT he said: “I can’t dance and I can’t skate, so I’m going to have fun!” He hoped that everyone else would be worse than him! Their song was Flash by the amazing Queen. Dressed in a cape, Joe looked the part. Sadly, his skating wasn’t brilliant, but he didn’t fall down which is something! They scored 14. Ashley said: “You moved around pretty good, and you looked like you were having fun.” Jason said: “It was like everything looked like you were going to fall over, and the only solid was the lift, which is a good thing!” Good try Joe!
Baroness Oona King was next with her partner Mark Hanretty and in her VT we saw her looking forward to getting on the ice. We also saw her juggling her professional career in Westminster with rehearsals. Their song was No More Tears and they were dressed in matching blue outfits. The fast-paced song suited the pair very well and Oona skated and danced brilliantly! They scored 20.5. Jason said of his 3.5 score: “The thing is, you have a great face, but having the one smile isn’t going to cut it here. There was no attack to it. This number is quite punchy, and I wanted to see more sassiness from you.” Robin said: “The skating is there, and there’s a quality and natural instinct on the ice from you. There’s a softness about your core. The potential is fantastic.” We couldn’t agree more. Well done Oona.
The penultimate performance was from Olympic boxing champion Luke Campbell nd his partner Jenna Nicole Smith. In his VT he said: “Winning the Gold in the Olympics was the icing on the cake. I don’t like to loose, and its all or nothing.” Their song was Gold Forever by The Wanted. Dressed in gold matching outfits, they looked like the golden couple! They skated very well and had butterfly leaps, Mohawks in their programme. They scored 18.5. Karen said: “Solid performance and you came out fighting. No mention of nerves. Well done.” Jason said: “I can see potential. Luke, you’re an Olympic Gold medallist and tonight you looked weak.” Very harsh Jason, we thought he was very strong!
The last celebrity to perform tonight was Anthea Turner and her partner Andy Buchanan. In her VT we saw her trying to tackle the ice, and we found out that she was very nervous after watching Pamela being voted off last weekend. Their song was Adele’s Skyfall and dressed in matching peach outfits, they looked very lovely! In the programme, they had lifts, cradles and the back-roller. She scroed 18.0. Ashley said: “The lifts were beautiful, and you engaged with you partner. Well done!” Karen said: “The foot that’s on the ice needs more knee-bend, but good performance all round.” Jason liked her performance.
So there we have it. All six celebrities skated for the first time and Oona King and Gareth Thomas stood out for us. We’re looking forward to see who will leave in the Skate-Off later on tonight.
Dancing On Ice: The Skate-Off will be on ITV1 at 8.30pm tonight.
