Star of the Dutch Dancing on Ice and former British Figure Skating Champion, Blackburn's Dannielle Guppy gives her view on the latest Dancing on Ice series.

As the title credits proclaimed, 'the anticipation is over, it’s Dancing On Ice 2009!’ Welcome to my weekly blog on one of the most popular reality TV shows currently being aired.

With an extra 3 couples in the line up this year – taking the total number of couples to 13 – we are in for 11 very exciting shows and hopefully some excellent skating.

This week was the turn of the boys and first up was Jeremy and Darya.

Jeremy Edwards and Darya
Music: Spandau Ballet – True: So did the first skater nerves get to him? I don’t think they did! There was a couple of little wobbles in the routine but this is the first week so he can be forgiven. I thought that the lift combined with a spread eagle was impressive. Jeremy was a little high in the knees but this can be worked on and as a couple they look nice together.

Donal MacIntyre and Florentine
Music: Nickleback – Rockstar: I have to say that my expectations for Donal were low after watching the clip before his skate, but I was pleasantly surprised!Yes, he was a little round shouldered and slightly rough around the edges but he was quite stable throughout. He led Florentine through the routine and the best thing was that Donal smiled whilst skating which just lifted the whole performance.

Todd Carty and Susie
Music: Bryan Adams – Everything I do: There was no lift in this routine, but it was still entertaining! I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought the way that he interacted with his partner was excellent. He said that he ‘loved every minute of it’ and it showed as he was beaming throughout! Some work is needed on the edges and the stability but when these have improved it will hopefully lead to a lift being included. Jason Gardiner's comment was harsh and unnecessary – which is why I am not going to repeat it here!

Ellery Hanley and Frankie
Music: Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run: Wow, what striking costumes! I thought Ellery did great for the first week. He is this year’s muscle man and has no problem lifting Frankie. I loved the cartwheel lift at the end of the routine and thought overall he skated really nicely with great control, especially on the tricks. I admire him as he is a grafter on the ice and will work hard to get results.

Ray Quinn and Maria
Music: Hanson – Umm Bop: As soon as the first beat of the music sounded he was looking and moving confidently. His performance background most definitely shows in the way that he moves his body. I liked that he used the entire blade on steps and his turns were very fluent and controlled. The challenge for Ray now will be improving, keeping his motivation and enthusiasm and doing something bigger and better on every show.

Graeme Le Saux and Kristina
Music: Frank Sinatra – Under My Skin: Ouch! The fall shown in the clip before his routine looked painful and I am sure that some of his confidence was lost. I felt that he projected himself well in the routine and he seemed to enjoy performing it. He was a little stiff in the knees on his crossovers and his shoulders were also too high, making him look tense out on the ice. If he'd have got through to next week I'm sure we'd have seen him regain some of his belief in his skating and have a better performance.

Michael Underwood and Melanie
Music: Rod Stewart - Have I Told You Lately: I am so glad that Michael is back on the show as I really felt sorry for him when he broke his ankle last year. To come back is a major achievement and to return with a fighting, upbeat attitude is excellent. He looks more assured and polished this year and the music pace really suited him although there is still some work to be done especially on his presentation.

The Skate-Off
I have to say that although Todd was probably the weakest skater this week, he is entertaining and shows that ANYONE can participate in skating and enjoy it as a sporting activity.

I think both Graeme and Donal skated better in the skate off compared to their routines the first time round. Donal beat Graeme on the judges' votes because he was more stable, more assured and generally a stronger skater. It is such a shame to say goodbye to someone in the early stages as it would be great to see how they progress but unfortunately that’s the nature of the competition.

All that's left for me to say for now is, bring on the girls next week!