Former world champion hurdler Colin Jackson will be working for the BBC during the 2012 Olympic Games. Before that though, he takes to the ice alongside Frankie Poultney in a Dancing On Ice special featuring past Olympic stars Olga Korbut (with Matt Gonzalez), Tessa Sanderson (with Yannick Bonheur), Pippa Wilson (with Mark Hanretty), Jamie Baulch (with Maria Filippov), Steve Williams (with Katie Stainsby), and Gail Emms (with Lukasz Rozycki). Colin, who appeared in Strictly Come Dancing seven years ago, tells TVChoice more about the show that also sees performances by Robin Cousins, as well as Torvill and Dean.

What was it like meeting a new dance partner in Frankie and learning the routine for Dancing On Ice Goes Gold?

I was lucky because I used to watch Dancing On Ice, and I looked at some of the skaters. You look at their personalities and you think, ‘Who would I like to be with?’ I thought, ‘Do you know what? I’ll have a laugh with Frankie if I get her.’ So I was keeping everything crossed that I was going to get Frankie. And you know what the producers are like for this programme, if you say you want somebody, most of the time you don’t get them. But it was like, ‘I hope I get Frankie,’ and when she turned up I was like, ‘Get in!’ And we gelled from the off. We had a good laugh and a giggle. She’s impeccable as a teacher. She focused on what was necessary all the time. It was brilliant.

Could you ice-skate beforehand?
No.

So you went into Dancing On Ice Goes Gold and learnt to ice-skate from scratch?
Yeah. I used to roller-skate and Rollerblade but never ever really spent any time ice-skating.

So when you started did you end up flat on your bum a lot?!
Oh yeah. You’ve got to get on the ice as much as you possibly can and get used to the movement of the ice and the skating. If you don’t do that you can be in big trouble quite quickly.

Were there any movements from your hurdling days that proved useful on the ice?
None. There was no way I was ever going to take off! Ice-skating is weird because you’ve got to go around on bent knees and it’s nothing like normal life, that’s for sure.

How long did you train for Dancing On Ice Goes Gold?
You’re talking six or seven weeks. Not long because you had to spend at least three weeks learning to stand on your blades, so you don’t have much time to hone the actual routine once you can stand up.

Was it a nervous experience because you are out of your comfort zone?
Yeah. You’re out of your comfort zone for sure, but what I enjoyed was the learning aspect of it. That was brilliant because now I’ve got a skill for life. I can do ballroom dancing for life. If people say, ‘Can you do a Cha Cha Cha?’ of course. I can learn a routine in two weeks if you want me to do a Cha Cha Cha for you. If you want me to do a Quickstep, it’s the same thing. Now I can skate exactly the same way.

One of the iconic Dancing On Ice moments was Todd Carty shooting out of the ring.
None of that.

Were you at all worried though?
Yeah. I think you always have that anxiety that you’re going to be the one who falls. All of us were willing every single person to get through clearly and cleanly. That was the most important thing because your routine is yours. It’s all very personal, so you just want to do your routine the best you possibly can.

What was Robin Cousins like?
Absolutely awesome. When you spend so much time with the technical aspects of skating and trying to learn how do that well, when you watch Robin Cousins skate, and you know how difficult and intricate every single move he does is, and he does it flawlessly, you think to yourself, ‘B*****d!’ (Laughs). Unbelievable. It’s wonderful to watch.

ITV1 Sunday

Nick Fiaca