After five extraordinary decades on the ice, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are reportedly set to receive the ultimate royal recognition — a damehood and a knighthood in the King’s New Year Honours list.

The skating icons, aged 68 and 67, were previously awarded MBEs in 1981 and OBEs in 2000. Fans have long campaigned for their elevation, with a petition for their honours rejected as recently as 2023.

The pair shot to global fame after winning gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics, before enchanting millions more as judges on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.

Now, according to The Sun, the record-breaking duo have finally decided to hang up their skates — and their farewell is set to be marked with the titles many feel they have deserved for years.

Their professional partnership has always fascinated the public, not least because of the long-standing mystery surrounding the true nature of their bond.

Both are happily settled in other relationships: Jayne has been married to Phil Christiansen since 1990, while Christopher was married twice before beginning a relationship with Dancing On Ice co-star Karen Barber in 2011.

Yet fans have often sensed something deeper — especially after the pair shared a kiss during a 2024 trip to Sarajevo, marking 40 years since their legendary Olympic gold. Re-performing their sultry Bolero routine on Valentine’s Day, the moment reignited decades of speculation.

The duo have previously admitted that, as teenagers, they once kissed and briefly considered being together — but ultimately chose to put their careers first.

Earlier this year, they performed together for the final time in their hometown of Nottingham, closing the UK leg of their farewell tour Torvill and Dean: Our Last Dance.

Their routines have always been filled with longing looks, tender touches and near-kisses — hardly surprising that fans still believe there is more than just friendship between them.

Speaking on the High Performance podcast in 2024, Christopher said:
“When we were younger, we crossed a line for a minute, but it didn’t last. We realised we were best friends — and that’s what’s got us here 50 years later.”

Jayne added:
“We’re often asked what the secret is. We never got married.”
Christopher then joked: “And we didn’t sleep with each other.”

Despite the teasing, Christopher has insisted their bond is neither like brother and sister nor husband and wife.
“It’s unique,” he said, while Jayne added: “We still have a great spark and chemistry. We just also have other partners.”

Now, after half a century of magic on ice, it seems the nation is finally ready to honour them — not just as skating champions, but as one of Britain’s most enduring partnerships.