As the sun (finally!) begins to shine, this week, almost as if it was an omen, we finally waved goodbye to the icy chill extravaganza that was Dancing on Ice.
After nine series and countless celebrities taking to the slippery stuff with gusto, some with aplomb, others with anything but, the ITV skating show finally hung up its skates for good, and I for one think Sunday night winter telly will be worse off for it.
There was only one thing host Phillip Schofield could do for his final bow, and that was to put his money where his mouth is and strap on a pair of blades for the series finale himself, followed closely by the delightful Christine Bleakley. Both had clearly been taking advantage of having Olympic gold medalists Torvill and Dean as coaches, as the presenters put in a very impressive performance for the show opener before leading us through the final ever episode.
Tears and gushing tributes to the coaches, the celebs, the physios, the network bosses, the makeup department… you name it, everyone got themselves a li'l mention in the relentless barrage of VTs, but as it was the last show ever, we'll certainly forgive that, and indeed the annual Bolero overkill - a routine so repeated and regurgitated it now needs to strap its own dancing skates on and swiftly Foxtrot Oscar.
And so as the final curtain came down on the spandex sequin spectacular, it was favourite Ray Quinn who took the ultimate Champion of Champions trophy. My money was on Corrie's Hayley Tamaddon (that Bollywood routine was superb), but one can't deny that the cocky singer/actor can skate pretty blimmin' well and deserved to glide his way to the top of the table.
It's at this point I feel it appropriate to reveal the true reason for me continuing to be such a fan of this show, having had my own Dancing on Ice journey. Four series ago I was fortunate to be asked to take part as a contestant myself, and I underwent the gruelling skating training schedule that all celebs undertake when signing up. Unfortunately for me, a silly stumble in the latter part of practice left me with a broken ankle and I never quite made it on the show for real. So there you go, the real reason I sported a plaster cast for six weeks a few years ago. The show was fantastic to me, looked after me brilliantly and I have continued to support it right up until its final swan song. Turns out skating and me wasn't to be, but four years later 10 metre diving boards and me, was. Who knew!
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And I was to be reunited with my Splash! buddies this week at the Princes Trust and Samsung Celebrate Success Awards. Tess Daly and hubby (and Splash! host) Vernon Kay were among the first to arrive for the royal event, followed closely by fellow host Gabby Logan and my diving buddy Perri Kiely, who along with his dance troupe Diversity, performed at the prestigious ceremony.
The awards celebrate the amazing achievements of disadvantaged young people who have managed to overcome challenges and grab a second chance at life thanks to the work and support of the Trust. It's an annual event that draws some seriously big celebs all wanting to congratulate these remarkable youngsters. But the stars are pretty much made redundant (in a nice way) as they make way for the real stars of the show, the nominees and winners.
However, the royal lineup is always a sight to behold, and as a Princes Trust Ambassador and red carpet reporter, this was my third year of meeting HRH Prince Charles, fondly known as 'The Boss'.
Awaiting HRH's arrival, all my fellow Ambassadors were ushered into a line ready to be presented to the charity president. Let me tell you, getting a bunch of stars including Sir Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Irons, Jools Holland and Joan Collins into something resembling an orderly queue was not easy!
Standing next to the scarily youthful and aloof Ms Collins (who was the only person quaffing a glass of champers in the lineup), she leant over to ask me, "Who is that woman?", directing her gaze to the newly pregnant and adorable Sam Bailey who was standing alongside us discreetly trying to practise her curtsey. "That's Sam Bailey, winner of The X Factor," I replied. With a small pause, a sideways glance then pulling herself up to resume her previous upright poise, the acting legend responded with an unimpressed, "Oh, really, well I don't watch that show". That told me!
I'll give it to Joan though, her spontaneous idea to 'do a selfie' with all ambassadors was genius. HRH politely declined but let's be honest, only she would have the guts to ask him in the first place!
A fantastic day, a fantastic cause and a truly inspirational charity.
