Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean finally bid farewell to their ice dancing careers last year, with a swansong performance ending a partnership that had lasted for 50 years.
However, this wasn't the entire end for the duo, as on Tuesday, they received a damehood and a knighthood, with King Charles carrying out the honours. Jayne later revealed that the King was "so pleased" to recognise their achievements, which included a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics.
The former ice dancer added: "He said 'Are you coaching or anything?', and I said, 'No, we've just retired now'. We did our last tour last year, and that the body was deciding that that was our last tour, but we enjoyed it."
Christopher added: "I had a similar conversation. I also said: 'We've retired, and I recommend it', and he had a little laugh. It's a wonderful day, and to be here in this setting – it's amazing to be in Windsor Castle, and all the traditional elements as well."
© Getty ImagesHowever, the honours nearly didn't come for Chris, with the pair initially thinking that only Jayne had been honoured. Christopher explained: "I wanted to be, and was, happy for Jayne, but at the same time – and Jayne felt the same as well – that you didn't know how to act, neither of us did, did we?"
It transpired that Christopher's letter had essentially gotten lost in the mail due to an incorrect postcode, but he later received the letter confirming the honour "two weeks later".
Dame Jayne and Sir Christopher weren't the only stars being honoured on Tuesday, as Sir Idris Elba picked up an OBE, while Professor Philip Bloom, and Simon Eccles, a plastic surgeon to the King and Queen, were made Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order. Paul Elliott and Betty Brown, the latter of whom campaigns for justice for the sub-postmasters incorrectly prosecuted also picked up honours.
End of career
The pair retired in 2025, with their final performance being on their tour on 11 May 2025. The tour didn't go without incident, with the pair suffering a terrifying fall during one of the dates.
© GettyChristopher had opined that their mobility was "decreasing all the time", and during a reprisal of the routine that saw them win gold, Jayne fell. Christopher also admitted that both he and Jayne experienced "aches and pains" and had to work harder than ever to stay performance-ready.
He said: "It doesn't get easier, you know – the pains, the aches. We climbed up the mountain, saw the beautiful views, won a few medals and we're able to bow out on our terms. The journey feels complete."
History together
Although Christopher and Jayne started skating together in 1975, the pair had previously crossed paths while training with separate partners. Jayne grew up in Nottingham, while Christopher lived on the outskirts of the city, and the pair used the same ice rink to train.
On the High Performance podcast, Jayne joked about the secret to their partnership. "Quite often we get asked, 'What's the secret of your friendship, relationship?'... we never got married," she jested, before Christopher added: "Don't sleep with each other."
© Getty ImagesAlthough Jayne and Christopher have insisted there was never any romance between them, the couple did once share a kiss when they were younger.
Speaking to Radio Times, Jayne confessed: "We did actually kiss once – before we were a skating couple. We were in the back of the bus going to a league match, and it just happened. It was a one-off. We never talked about it afterwards. We laugh about it now."
