Torville and Dean 'Face the Music' for the Final Time

Victoria-Jayne Scholes • August 24, 2025

As the curtain comes down on their 50-year carer, Jayne and Chris thank their ‘Partner, Best Friend’ and fans as they say Goodbye in Nottingham.

Jayne Torvill stands on the ice in a long sleeved silver top and white skirt ice skating dress, looking at Christopher Dean who is wearing black trousers and a white jacket who is looking back at Jayne as they prepare to partner to dance to Let's Face the Music. The background is in a blackout with only the pair in focus.

When I was 7 I stood front row of the ice rink at Wembley Arena as crowds around me rose to their feet in rounds of applause and cheers for the treasures we know as Torville and Dean in their tour ‘Lets face the music’. 


31 years on, I stood in the same arena for opening night of their farewell tour ‘Our Last Dance.’ I thought nothing could beat it. 


Well something could. 


I was honoured to be invited to have front row seats of their final performance at the Nottingham arena, the place it all started for the duo and where it was all about to come to an end.


Opening night at Wembley was magical, the start of their tour and you could see the enjoyment on everyones faces, from Jayne and Chris to their Dancing on Ice family supporting them. 


By the time, they reached Nottingham, it was not only a show of enjoyment but one of reflection, of knowing this would be the very last time they would step on the stage together. 


After each number each skater gave each other a knowing look, and sometimes and hug, in that moment just needing comfort that it was coming to an end. 


As Jayne and Chris took to the floor on the eve of the 12th July, for their opening speech, the cheers started before Christopher Dean could utter his first word. 


The clapping continued for a good few minutes and when he did begin to speak, the roars increased, showing the amount of support they had in the room that night. 


Karen Barber on the stage wearing a pink Gillet and black trousers and skates in front of a young girl wearing a blue ice skating dress and ice skates and a young lad wearing a black all in one. A spotlight in on them with the rest of the ice rink illuminated in purple.

Opening with the Greatest Show, from the Greatest Showman, the show then went through the decades of their career, beginning when they first meet as teenagers, with Karen Barber and two ‘mini’ Jayne and Chris’s gracing the ice. 


The duo went on to perform iconic performances such as Mack ’n’ Mabel, Barnum, and Let’s Face the Music. 


Parts of the show I saw at Wembley had been omitted, whether this was due to them feeling it did not fit, or merely feeling that other parts were more important for the last night. However, this did not take away from the beauty of the last show and these parts were not missed until looking through my footage in the following days.

Whilst not being able to execute the lifts as they once could, their moves still matched those of the dances they did 30 years ago. 


The pair were supported by talented individuals such as Mark Hanretty, Vanessa James, Alexandra Schauman and Dan Whiston as well as 4 x National Champions Anastasia Vaipan-Law and Luke Digby. 


Performing their own 1920’s routine, and an Orbit routine, the team went onto perform to songs including: “Relax”, “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go”, “Uptown Girl”, and Dan’s breathtaking flying performance to “Send in the Clowns”. 


We then reached the 19-year span of ‘Dancing of Ice’, which Torville and Dean took us on a journey of bloopers, from those that failed to the winners through the years. 


Then it arrived, the anticipation, the moment we were all there to see. Torville and Dean skate to ‘Bolero’ for the very last time. 


As the lights dimmed on the stage, and the music strikes up, silence fell around the arena. Whilst the couple, no longer able to perform the opening move on the floor, we were shown it on a VT, which to us all did not matter, for when the double doors opened and the pair skated to their positions the audience still applauded. But not for long, for still wanting to capture the essence of the song and the moment between these two. 


As the music got to it’s crescendo, everyone waited on baited breath. Would they end in the same iconic way, laid out on the floor? 


Given that both Jayne and Chris are in their late 60’s, it could be forgiven if they ended differently, though many hoped not. 


So when the duo slid their bodies across that floor, the music stopped and the VT board lit up with the original footage of the 6.0’s from their performance, the auditorium did not have a dry eye in the house as every person that was able, rose to their feet, with deafening applause and cheers for these icons.

As the rest of the team came out for their bows and laps of honour the tears continued. Both on and off the ice. 


Then the time came for Jayne Torville and Christopher Dean to address their audience for the very last time. 


As a hush came over the auditorium, Jayne tearfully said “I want to thank my partner and my best friend” and in turn hugging Jayne, Chris said “I would also like to thank my partner and best friend”.


The rest of the team left the stage, leaving the pair saying goodbye to the fans, as their fans said goodbye to them. 


Jayne stands on the stage with a microphone in one hand and the other outstretched in gesture wearing a gold iceskating dress. Next to her stand Chris in white trousers white shirt and a waist coat with a black back and gold sequinned front. The audience sit in tiered rows behind them.

And whilst I am sure this is not the last we have seen of them, I think the question on most people’s mind is what will it take to get this duo a Knighthood?