Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have been skating partners for 50 years and have been dogged by rumours about their relationship – but they insist they have never been more than friends

Jayne Torvill has shared the true reason behind her phenomenally successful 50-year dancing partnership with Christopher Dean: they ‘never got married’. The dynamic duo, known for their iconic performances on Dancing on Ice and their revered Bolero that clinched Winter Olympics gold in 1984, plan to retire following a final tour, which will appropriately conclude in their home city of Nottingham.

In an exclusive with the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine, when asked about the longevity of their collaborative career, Torvill replied: “The answer is because we never got married, that’s why.”

Dean chimed in to support her point, stating: “Some people make it work, but from our point of view it would have complicated things. If you’re a couple off the ice and you fall out, you don’t want to go and skate with each other at six in the morning do you?”

Torvill is married to Phil Christensen since 1990, and the pair have raised two children together.

They won Olympic gold in 1984 (Image: Popperfoto via Getty Images)

As for Dean, now 66, he was once wed to fellow skating virtuoso Isabelle Duchesnay in the early ’90s. She has previously commented on their unique arrangement: “I felt that he (Dean) had two women in his life,” reports Bristol Live.

Post-divorce, he tied the knot with American skater Jill Trenary, who became the mother of his two sons, although they separated in 2010. Currently, Dean’s heart belongs to ice dancer Karen Barber.

Torvill revealed that emotions are running high as she and Dean approach the final night of their farewell tour. Despite years of rumours, the pair maintains they’ve always been just friends.

Dean believes their bond has been stronger as a result of their friendship and business partnership, which has seen them through three Olympic Games and five World Championships.

The pair are set to hang up their skates (Image: Daily Mirror)

In more recent times, the duo has been a fixture on the television series Dancing on Ice, starting out as coaches before becoming judges since the show’s launch in 2006. The season finale on Sunday, March 9, marked their last appearance on the show.

Speaking to the Mail’s Weekend magazine, Torvill said, “We did everything together. It was always the two of us travelling together and looking after each other.

“It wasn’t really talked about (to get romantically involved). It was just something that happened. We’ve talked about it since as proper adults. I think we’re grown up enough now, aren’t we?”