TOM and Jerry, Marks and Spencer, Morecambe and Wise...there are certain partnerships which just go together, writes JOHN ANSON.

You can certainly add the names of Torvill and Dean to that list. The golden couple of the ice will always be inextricably linked in the minds of the general public following their Olympic gold medal performance of Bolero back in 1984.

After an absence of four years, the pair returned to our TV screens with a new role in Dancing on Ice, the reality show which sees celebrities teaming up with professional skaters.

Having previously choreographed the routines to be performed each week, the pair are now among the judges casting their verdict every Sunday night.

"It was a huge time commitment of 12 to 14 hours a day," said Chris. "We weren’t just involved in the choreography, there was the music, the costumes and the whole concept.

"We're of an age now where we are quite comfortable about turning up on a Sunday and giving our opinions.

"One of the reasons they wanted us to transition into the role of judges was that we had choreographed so many routines and worked with the celebrities. The professionals know they can't hide."

Jayne said that they are enjoying their new role.

She said: "With this series, we don’t know what to expect. Before we were choreographing everything so we knew exactly what we were going see on the night. I quite like that element of surprise - sometimes you are slightly disappointed and then other times you are really impressed."

With the TV show approaching its final stages, Jayne and Chris are preparing for Dancing on Ice Live, which will tour the country from March 23, where the audience on the night will vote for their favourites. Jayne and Chris will be among the judges and Denise Van Outen will host the event.

"We are looking forward to taking it out on tour," she said. "I think we’re going to have a great group of celebrities with lots of characters. It's when they can settle into doing the same routines each night and improving them rather than having to learn a new routine every week.

"They tend to enjoy it more because there is less pressure but at the same time they do want to win each night. It is a competition just the same as the TV show."

Chris is looking forward to being involved in some of the choreography for the tour.

"I always love the creative side," he added. "For the live shows, they will bring the numbers that they have done on TV.

"But there will be some group numbers and company pieces which we will choreograph and I want to get the celebrities out there potentially to do a number by themselves. I'd love to see Jake and Kem doing a number together."

Reality TV stars Jake Quickenden and Love Island winner Kem Cetinay are two of the most popular stars of this season's TV show.

Comparisons are often made between Dancing on Ice and Strictly Come Dancing but Jayne doesn't believe the two shows are similar.

"I’d say there is so much more to Dancing on Ice," she said. "With Dancing on Ice the celebrities have got to learn to skate first before they can even think about dancing on the ice and putting routines together. So it is harder.

"There is also the difficulty of having to find an ice rink to train on. If you've got space in your living room you can start dancing."

In spite of spending hours with their professional partners, not every celebrity masters the art of skating.

"There are some people who will never learn to skate; we have had some of those on the show over the years," she laughed without naming names.

"With some of our celebrities it’s fear. They are so nervous it stops them learning because they are constantly in fear of falling rather than concentrating on the positives of gliding and skating."

Both Chris and Jayne were delighted with how well the return of Dancing on Ice has been received.

"There has been such a lot of excitement about it coming back," said Jayne, "and now we get the chance to take it around the country."

Dancing On Ice Live will be at Manchester Arena, on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 3/4.

For further information visit www.dancingonicetour.co.uk.