SKATE expectations

Three-times champion turned choreographer DAN WHISTON on this year's final

-  STEVEN PERKINS

REGAN GASCOIGNE

PRO PARTNER: KARINA MANTA

'One of the stand-outs of Torvill & Dean Week was Regan's Barnum routine. He's fully in vision after that!' says Dan.

DANCING ON ICE LAST ONE SUNDAY, ZPM, ITV ENTERTAINMENT

Reserve your rink-side seat! After nine weeks of hairraising headbangers, spectacular spins, and tricky themes, it's time to crown the champion of Dancing on Ice 2022 in this Sunday's grand finale of the ITV skating spectacular.

Our three remaining celebrities - former Strictly Come Dancing pro-Brendan Cole, professional dancer Regan Gascoigne and Pussycat Dolls star Kimberly Wyatt - and their professional partners will all showcase a brand-new routine plus perform their favorite dance of the series again.

The top two couples, as voted for by viewers, will then get to put their unique twist on the Boléro, the gold-medal-winning routine made famous by the Ice Panel's head judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean at the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics.

If anyone knows what to expect from a Dancing on Ice final, it's the show's associate creative director, Dan Whiston, who has skated to victory three times, partnered with celebs Gaynor Faye (series one), Hayley Tamaddon (series five) and Beth Tweddle (series eight).

Here, in an exclusive interview, Dan, 45, tells TV Times why this year's competition is too close to call...

What has the overall standard of talent been like this year?