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.

Week six and it was revival of the 80s! The theme was picked to celebrate 25 years of Torvill and Dean’s gold medal in the Sarajevo Olympics. The opening number was very energetic with all the celebrities, professionals and Torvill and Dean skating to Wham’s “Wake Me Up (before you go-go)”. The required element for this week was the ‘Shadow Spin’. This is where the skaters spin together, in time and with a minimum of 2 rotations. And so onto the show dedicated to the decade that Philip Schofield and Gordon the Gopher were on our televisions, legwarmers were THE thing to wear…and the decade that I was born!

Roxanne Pallet and Daniel
Music: China in Your Hand – T’Pau: I thought Roxanne did much better this week. She wasn’t as reliant on Daniel as she has been in past shows and looked as though she had worked on her basics as the knee bend was much better. The required element was done well although on two feet which loses marks for difficulty. Most of all though I liked her attitude! Skating with an injury isn’t the easiest thing to do and I thought she handled it very well. I want Roxanne to work on her exit from lifts and tricks as that is when she has a tendency to stiffen her legs and then the softness is lost.

Donal McIntyre and Florentine
Music: Addicted to Love – Robert Palmer: I love Donal with attitude! I thought he did great this week and has shown huge improvement from the very first show. The spin was centred well on one foot and his lifts very well controlled. He also has great interaction with Florentine which really helps with his performance. I like his attitude as every week he listens and then take action with his skating.

Jessica Taylor and Pavel
Music: Venus – Bananarama: Wow! I have to say that Jessica is my favourite skater on the show. This routine was great with her not needing Pavel to lean on. She skates on her own with no problem and her spin was a crosstoe which is much more difficult than the normal upright. She skated with her injury well and it didn’t show at all during the routine that she performed better than any other skates which she has had. The scores really reflected her routine and I’m pleased that she raised the bar yet again.

Coleen Nolan and Stewart
Music: Lady in Red – Chris De Burgh: I like Coleen and thought that this week she did okay although she seemed to rely on Stewart to skate around. Her spin, although with the required two turns, was two footed which was disappointing. Having said that it was a pleasant routine if a little safe in the choreography and skating.

Ellery Hanley and Frankie
Music: Come on Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners: I love this song! Ellery skated well tonight as his basics seemed much softer which was nice to watch. The spin was on one foot with the right number of rotations and lifts were solid. Having said that, performing doesn’t seem to be Ellery’s strong point and making him dance in his routines every week was only highlighting his weakest points further.

Melinda Messenger and Fred
Music: 99 Red Balloons – Nena: To be honest, this routine wasn’t the best. Again, Melinda was very stiff in the knee which detracts from the smoothness of a performance. Also the platter lift didn’t work due to her not being able to hold her body into an arch position. As Jason had said in a previous week a lift is a two-way thing and the girl has to hold her herself to make the man’s job easier. Melinda’s spin was only one revolution although it was on one foot. I was very disappointed with her skate this week.

Ray Quinn and Maria
Music: Nothings Gonna Stop Us Now – Starship: Ray really upped his game this week. With many difficult skills linking together with ease and a drape lift this was most definitely the best performance of the night and also the series so far. Being very picky, I would say that the position in his spin wasn’t the best with the free foot too low but it had plenty of control and revolutions. He performs extremely well and interacts with Maria throughout the routine. With a full board of sixes I am wondering what Ray will do next week!

Zoe Salmon and Matt
Music: I Think We’re Alone Now – Tiffany: I like how Zoe smiles through the routine as it really brings the performance to life. I thought she could have maybe pushed the boundaries slightly more but the injury to the ribs could have played a part in the routine being safe. Overall it was a nice routine and good to watch. I hope that next week Zoe and Matt come back stronger.

The Skate-Off
With Ellery and Melinda in the skate off it was a close call. Such a pity that Ellery fell during the routine but Melinda skated a better the second time. I really want her to get down into her knees next week otherwise I fear she may be in the skate off again.

We are half way through the series and hopefully the skating will keep getting better!