Ice thrills and chills hit the road

3:50pm Wednesday 19th March 2008

He may have lost out in Sunday's glittering Dancing on Ice final, but Brad-ford's Chris Fountain is taking to the ice once more in a spectacular live version of the show.

Hollyoaks actor Chris, from Wibsey, is joining other stars from the hit ITV show on the Dancing on Ice arena tour which comes to Yorkshire next month.

Chris will be joined by his professional skating partner Frankie Poultney. Over the past couple of months the pair have thrilled viewers with daring ice routines. Chris leapt, spun and even break-danced his way to the final; he was the first-ever contestant to pull off an axel jump and was awarded the first of the judges' sixes in the series.

Chris, 20, was favourite to win last Sunday's live final but, despite impressing the judging panel with his intense version of Torvill and Dean's legendary Bolero routine, he and Frankie were beaten by former Hear'Say singer Suzanne Shaw and her partner Matt Evers.

Despite losing out, Chris is excited about the tour, mostly because he'll experience the noise of an arena audience for the first time. "I wanted to do the tour because I didn't want my skating to stop," he says. "I can't compete as an ice dancer but it's something I love doing. The tour means I can carry on skating which makes me happy."

Other celebrities getting their skates on for the tour include Bradford singer Gareth Gates, who reached the semi-final of the TV show; winner Suzanne Shaw; former Coronation Street actress Zaarah Abrahams, who also reached the final; Emmerdale actress Linda Lusardi, West End star Bonnie Langford; footballing personality David Seaman and last year's Dancing on Ice champion Kyran Bracken and runner-up Clare Buckfield.

Keeping it all together are ice legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean who'll choreograph the routines and train the celebrity skaters. Torvill and Dean, who won Olympic figure skating gold in Sarajevo nearly 25 years ago, will also perform some of their favourite routines from the TV series. The celebrity skaters will be joined by their professional partners, and Andi Peters returns as compere.

And the TV judges - Olympic gold medal winner Robin Cousins, Karen Barber, Mr Nasty' Jason Gardiner and Nicky Slater - will be rink-side offering their critiques of the celebrity routines.

Arena audiences will vote for their favourite skating couple. Replicating the format of the TV show, they'll be able to use their mobile phones to text their choice and the two couples with the most votes will face each other, dancing their interpretation of Torvill and Dean's Bolero.

When ITV first approached Torvill and Dean with an idea for teaching a bunch of celebrities how to skate they were, frankly, sceptical. "It was a gamble," says Chris. "We worried that people might fall flat on their faces. Quite literally." Those fears proved unfounded. Dancing On Ice became one of television's biggest hits in recent years, the latest series attracting more than ten million viewers.

"We knew early on that we'd struck a chord because the demand for tickets for the live show dramatically outstripped the supply," says Chris.

"Jayne and I got talking and went to promoter Phil McIntyre with the idea of taking the concept of the show out on the road. But while we knew the TV show was popular, we couldn't be sure we'd fill auditoriums holding up to 10,000 people."

Again, they needn't have worried. The first Dancing On Ice tour took place last year, after the second TV series, and became the most successful arena tour of 2007 after the Spice Girls and Take That.

Gareth Gates says the whole experience has been life-changing and he can't wait to get back on the ice. "When I was first approached about the TV show, I wasn't sure I was up to the challenge," he says. "But my life has always been about new challenges. I'm so pleased I said yes. I've been on the most fantastic journey. Imagine being on the ice each day and having Torvill and Dean as your instructors? They're skating royalty."

Gareth dismisses tabloid reports of seething tensions behind the scenes. "They're complete rubbish. One of the best elements about this show, and now the tour, is that we're all in it together. That's a very binding experience. This will sound corny but it's true: we're like a family. Of course there are nerves but there's no tension whatsoever."

Gareth, unlike some of the other celebs, should be well-placed, say Torvill and Dean, to adjust to the sheer volume and deafening roar of spectators.

"You've never seen anything like it," says Christopher. "There are people with banners and T-shirts emblazoned with their favourite's name. And the noise - it's like nothing I've ever heard!

"Last year Duncan James took it all in his stride, but he'd been part of the boy band Blue so he'd played vast arenas. Gareth will be the same. It's more difficult to adjust, though, for an actor used to working only in front of TV cameras. But it doesn't take long for everyone to respond to the adrenaline rush."

Chris admits that returning to the rink eight years after he and Jayne retired in 1998 was a shock to the system.

"Doing the TV show and now the tour means we're fitter than we've been for a long time but there are still things the body won't do. The trouble is that our minds still think we're 20!"

• The six-week Dancing on Ice tour starts in Sheffield on April 4, 5 and 6. For tickets ring (0114) 2565656 or visit dancingonicetour.co.uk. Due to Hollyoaks filming commitments, Chris Fountain will only perform on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

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