Chris goes live on ice!

4:36pm Monday 7th April 2008

He may not have won the TV series, but Bradford's Chris Fountain emerged triumphant from Dancing on Ice Live in his home county this week.

The Wibsey actor got the biggest cheers at Sheffield's packed-out Hallam Arena and skated away with the champion's trophy, thanks to his thrilling performance of Bolero.

Chris, and fellow Bradfordian Gareth Gates, who both thrilled viewers in hit ITV show Dancing on Ice, continued to do us proud in this glitzy, Vegas-style production.

It had almost been a no-show for Chris though, after he injured his neck while training. He'd missed last weekend's Saturday matinee but thankfully was back on the ice by Sunday, albeit with a scaled-down version of his Cry Me A River routine.

Despite the absence of lifts and tricky moves - no headstand but Chris did manage his impressive spin - the panel of judges decided it was a hit and Robin Cousins gave it a six.

Chris seemed overwhelmed by the deafening cheers. "I've never had such a reaction to anything," he beamed. His skating partner Frankie Poultney - pictured with Chris - told host Andi Peters: "Chris really pushed the boundaries on Dancing on Ice with the lifts and jumps. I'm proud to have been on this journey with him."

The show took on a similar format to the TV series, with judges Cousins, Karen Barber, Jason Gardiner and Nicky Slater scoring the ice dance routines of celebrity skaters and their professional partners.

The audience text voted for their favourite and the two with the most votes - in this case Chris and old rival Suzanne Shaw - each performed their version of Torvill and Dean's legendary Bolero. He'd lost out to Suzanne in the TV final, but this time Chris was voted the winner.

It was all a bit contrived, with panto-style bickering among the judges and comments that sounded rehearsed.

But, while it lacked the drama and tension of the TV series, this show was hugely entertaining. It was a treat to see world-class skaters, especially ice legends Torvill and Dean, as well as the celebrities.

The rink shimmered with lights as the show opened to a fabulous routine by Torvill and Dean and their professional team to Shirley Bassey's version of Get The Party Started. Then the celebrity skaters made their entrance.

Unfortunately, two rows of dimwits in front of us chose this moment to realise they were sitting in the wrong seats. As they shuffled out we had to peer around them to see our boys, Chris and Gareth.

The celebs performed a couple of routines each, apart from Chris whose neck injury had presumably left him unable to perform again. This was disappointing, and there was no announcement explaining his absence from most of the second half. Since we'd paid more than £30 a ticket (and that was just the cheap seats), I think we were owed an explanation.

Gareth and partner Maria Filippov thrilled us with fun routines to Living On A Prayer and the Beach Boys' I Get Around - "It's fantastic to be back in Yorkshire" Gareth grinned afterwards - and Suzanne Shaw drew gasps with her daring headbanger moves to Madonna's Music.

The celebs were impressive. Clare Buckfield skated like a professional with Andrei Lipanov, her lovely big Russian partner; Zaraah Abrahams glided along like a swan to U2's One; and Bonnie Langford was like a whirling dervish to Queen's Don't Stop Me Now.

Even David Seaman, partnered with tiny Kristina Lenko, looked more graceful than you'd expect. The only tumble came from Linda Lusardi, who got a cheer for picking herself up and carrying on.

The real thrills were the professionals' dances. Highlights included Melanie Lambert and Fred Palascak's breathtaking routine to Kandyman, with her leaping on and off his shoulders like a gazelle; a duo called Firestorm combining ice dancing with fire torch-juggling and Torvill and Dean's fun Sixties-inspired medley and slick flying routine.

Each flawless performance raced by at a cracking pace. A delightful slice of old-fashioned glamour.

• Due to popular demand, there's an extra Dancing on Ice Live show at Sheffield's Hallam FM Arena on Saturday, May 17. For tickets ring (0114) 256 5656 or visit sheffieldarena.co.uk

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