Vanessa James To Star In Dancing On Ice In UK
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Vanessa James is to star in the upcoming series of Dancing on Ice on British television and has partnered with former Olympic long jumper Greg Rutherford.
James, who is no stranger to reality TV, having previously appeared on Battle of the Blades – a Canadian figure skating competition, has been putting Rutherford through his paces ahead of the launch show on Sunday [January 14].
Although James was born in Ontario, Canada, her father is Bermudian, and she lived on the island until age ten when her family moved to Virginia in the United States.
“And so it begins!” James wrote on Instagram yesterday. “I feel like I haven’t officially posted about this crazy and extraordinary journey called Dancing on Ice!
“You have seen me teach hockey players how to figure skate in the past. Now I’ve turned it up a notch, and I am both honoured and thrilled to be teaching the one and only 2012 long jump Olympic champion Greg Rutherford how to figure skate!
“He’s athletic, he’s motivated, he’s a powerhouse and utterly hysterical.
“But can I get him to master the art of dancing on ice? Well, stay tuned to find out! We are definitely having a lot of fun in the meantime.”
James, 36, represented France at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2010, Sochi, Russia, in 2014, and Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018. She also represented Canada at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, in 2022.
The retired pair skater also won the gold medal at the European Championships in Minsk, Belarus, in 2019 and claimed bronze medals at the World Championships in Milan, Italy, in 2018 and the European Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in 2017.
Rutherford, 37, represented Great Britain at two Olympics, winning gold in London in 2012 and bronze in Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016.
