DANCING ON ICE: THE JUDGES

You folks at home aren't the only ones glued to our nervous skaters' every moves - those razor-sharp judges return with their eagle eyes and frosty comments.

So without further ado, let's reacquaint ourselves with the revered rink royalty...

As well as being one of the Dancing On Ice resident coaches, the loveable Karen is back on the judging panel too. Her career as British Championship winner and Olympic skater saw her ranked second in the world at individual events at a mere 15 years old.

But it is Karen’s pairing with Nicky Slater for which she is most remembered - they competed in both the Lake Placid (1980) and Sarajevo (1984) Olympic Games!

Karen joined Torvill and Dean on their world tour and now runs Blackburn Skating School and is a member of the International Skating Union, coaching all levels and ages.

Robin Cousins is one of Britain’s best known and best loved individual ice skaters. He started skating at nine years old and made the British international team at the age of 15.

In 1980 he rose to the top, winning Olympic and European gold medals and capping his amateur career with one of his best performances and three more 6.0s, for a final free skating title and an overall silver medal at the World Championships.

In addition to his own skating, Robin has juggled numerous other careers. He is a successful choreographer for other skaters, a TV commentator, costume designer and owns his own production company, producing ice skating events and non-ice events.

Robin retired from the ice rink in 2000 and, after over 30 years on the ice and 20 years of professional skating, is delighted to be back this year as head of the judging panel.

He’s back! As a choreographer and dancer, Jason has worked with a host of artists including Kylie Minogue, Shirley Bassey, Cher, Marc Almond and Sir Elton John.

Feared by our skaters for his acid tongue, Jason has earned a name for himself (and some news headlines) on the previous series of Dancing On Ice, for making some of the 'less sugar-coated comments' on the show.

Viewers will also recognise Jason as the lifestyle guru on the UK version of Queer Eye For A Straight Guy, and as a regular on This Morning’s Beat The Stylist.

He has also appeared in a number of films, TV and stage productions, including Kevin Spacey’s Beyond The Sea.

Olivier award winner Ruthie Henshall has been captivating audiences of the West End for the last 22 years with her breathtaking performances in shows such as Chicago, Cats and Oliver!

Brand new to Dancing On Ice in 2008, Ruthie brought her performance expertise to The Ice Panel, and the invaluable skills that come with being an acclaimed expert in singing, dancing and acting.

Nicky Slater was almost born on the ice - his mother and father were British and World Professional Ice Dance Champions!

Nicky followed in their footsteps as an ice dancer, going on to be Junior World Champion with Kathryn Winter and to win the British Championships and be ranked fifth in the World with fellow Ice Panel judge Karen Barber in the mid eighties. Even today many people still remember their Charlie Chaplin routine.

On judging Nicky says, “I’m determined to give a fair mark and to encourage people to achieve their best. Reputations or fame don’t matter to me, it’s what they do on the ice that counts.”