Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are legendary skaters - but now, with both stars in their late 60s, they have admitted that gliding around the rink is nowhere near as effortless it was when they were at their peak. Heartbreakingly, the pair confessed in a recent interview that their ease of mobility on the ice was "decreasing all the time", prompting their desires to end on a high note.

The Dancing On Ice aces made the confession just days before a horror accident at Birmingham's BP Pulse Live Arena sent Torvill tumbling down during a performance of Bolero and her fearful dance partner rushed to her aid. "We always said we knew when it would be over - and we both realised this was it," Dean sadly explained. "We still feel of a standard that we can go out and perform, but that’s decreasing all the time and we wanted to be able to end on a high," he previously told the Express. Dean also confessed that the pair now experience "aches and pains" and need to do arduous fitness training to be able to maintain the same high standards they demonstrated before.

The pair had been rehearsing since last summer and were either training together or independently visiting the gym, to ensure a peak performance.

They had a "life-changing" win at the 1984 Olympics, winning not just the medal but the status of household names - and now, after meeting everyone from royalty to US presidents, the huge career journey is coming to an end.

"It doesn’t get easier, you know – the pains, the aches. We climbed up the mountain, saw the beautiful views, won a few medals and we’re able to bow out on our terms. The journey feels complete," Dean concluded.

Meanwhile, the pair also reminisced about how they first met - and the sweet nicknames they picked out to describe each other.

Dean called Torvill "the Queen Bee of the rink", while she referred to him as "the Blonde Prince" - but Dean also made another confession about how his partner's lightning fast performances made him feel.

Recalling seeing her on the ice with someone else before their pairing began, he exclaimed: "When you took to the ice, we all had to move out of the way!"

Later, the pair's top Olympic win was witnessed by 24 million Brits at home - and their fame truly kicked in.

"The 1984 Olympics meant everything,” gushed Dean, adding: "You don’t realise at the time that four minutes in your career can be so life changing."

The couple, who are both nearing 70 but still wowing audiences, will continue performing on their Our Last Dance farewell tour until May 11.