Live webchat with olympic skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean on Friday 26th November between 1.30 and 2.30 pm

[RachelMumsnet]

On Friday 26th November between 1.30 and 2.30 pm Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are joining us for a live chat.

Torvill and Dean became world famous at the 1984 Winter Olympics when they became the highest scoring figure skaters of all time, scoring maximum points for dance to Ravel's Bolero. (If you've never seen it or haven't seen it since the 80's it worth a look - we've been marvelling at it this morning on YouTube at Mumsnet HQ)

They were enticed out of retirement to take part in ITV's Dancing On Ice which begins again in early 2011. The Dancing on Ice Live Tour 2010 DVD is out on November 29th and Tickets for the Dancing On Ice Live Tour 2011 are now on sale from Dancing on Ice Live Tour 2011
Join us on Friday to chat Jayne and Christopher and if you're unable to make it, send your questions to them in advance of the chat to this thread.

I wanted to say that i love the programme and my funniest moment was Todd disapearing off the ice. Did you find it hard to keep a straight face after???

Excited perchance, jennifer? :o

Hi Chris & Jane, Just wanted to say that everytime I see the Bolero routine it still sends shivers up my spine, do you still get the the same enjoyment from watching/performing it?

OMG dies cannot wait for this webchat and to see your responses. Am too excited to ask a question now but shall do on Friday if i can :) You guys are the reason as to why i skate and i love it soooo much now :)

Hi Jayne and Christopher.

My husband is German and was totally unaware of the '84 Olympic win - or rather not as indoctrinated as the Brits are. He was quite bemused when I started singing along with Bolero

Hi there - how did you deal with the fact that you were skating partners and not partner partners in a romantic sense? Did everyone just assume you were? Did you have other partners at the time and if so, what did they think? You must have had to spend a lot of time together, and must have been excellent friends. Was there just no attraction? (better go google to make sure you actually were never married to each other or anything...). Sorry that's more than one question.

Never married to each other stranded. And that's about 17 questions :o

Ooh, can I ask what your favourite biscuit is?

(that one doesn't count as my question, it's for the good of all MNetters :o)

A bit of a preamble: I recall watching your performances at the Olympics and not only being mesmerised, especially the Bolero sequence, but listening to the commentators who were equally entranced. I think that was the first time that ice dance stopped being the poor cousin to the acrobatic type of ice skating and was seen as a highly skilled art form in its own right. Truly magical.

OK, my question is: Was it problematic to find yourselves propelled into the spotlight when vast numbers of people, including me, had not only never heard of you but hadn't watched ice dance before ? but suddenly you were known all round the world. I recall interviews at that time and later where you both seemed so calm. I wonder how you coped with all the adulation and attention, especially as together you pushed the world of ice dance on to a completely different level.

This is mumsnet...it must be asked to Jane......how did you manage all that energetic skating when flo was in town?!!!

I would be freaking about tampon ishoos on the ice!

PussinJimmyChoos........ You can't ask an Olympic legend that, I know she's only human but please!

You can't ask that!!! She's like the Queen, it just doesn't work like that

Like lots of other posters I remember Bolero really well from when I was young and was quite fascinated by the behind-the-scenes story in a documentary I saw about it a while back-- like how the opening on your knees was because the music was too long for the time slot but you weren't technically dancing until you were actually up on your skates... genius!

Anyway, my question is kind of similar to stranded's, but it seemed in the documentary that although you weren't a couple you never actually came out and said that you weren't in interviews when people were asking 'When's the wedding?' and so on. I just wondered if you were under some kind of pressure to pretend you were a couple because the public seemed to want you to be so much?

Hi Jayne and Chris so glad you are doing another webchat we have all really missed you especially on twitter. My question is:
Do you ever get the time to watch or have you ever watched the compilations people make of you both on youtube,Teenage dreams is one of my favourites.There are alot of good ones out there.
Hope your both well.

Hi Chris and Jayne,

I remember being entranced by you guys at the Olympics all those years ago, so thank you so much for that.

My question is: why oh why do people take to the ice bedecked in the most hideously out-dated costumes? Naff and twinkley, or or with flesh-coloured cut-out bits that look horribly like gussets? Isn't the entire scene due for a make-over?

Thanks

I think my question is a perfectly valid one - she's only human at the end of the day

Rockbird I am excited and also embarrassed, my computer kept saying it couldn't reload the page-I didn't expect it to repost the message 53 billion times :( So I have now made a fool of myself in from of MN'ters everywhere AND olymipc legends sigh

Don't worry. I made a tit of myself in front of their real life selves . My dad got tickets to the first night party of one of their shows in the mid eighties. Then he forced me to go and speak to them because I'd regret it if I didn't. So I stood in front of them and mumbled something along the lines of 'I think you're great' and then ran away. They must have looked at each other and gone WTF?

what on EARTH did you say jenniferlynn?!

oh wow, I've only just seen this.

Gutted, as I will be on the school run while it is on - will have to catch up later.

would like to echo what everyone else has said re: bolero.
An absolutely beautiful piece, which has thoroughly and rightly embedded itself into our culture.

I'd like to ask - what age do yuo think it best to get children started skating (if they are happy to do so, of course!)? I'd love to take my girls, but can foresee all kinds of issues - dh is Not Keen, dd1 has co-ordination problems (she's 6, and disabled - poor balance probably not a good mix with ice ), and dd2 is only 3, and I'm not sure you can even get skates that small, as she is tiny!

might have to wait a while, I suppose...

I come from Nottingham where you are both living legends . Jayne, how do you feel about having Torvill Drive named after you?