Stefan Booth Online

Interview with Stefan taken from The Dancing On Ice 2007 Tour Programme

How old were you when you first set foot on the ice?
“The first time I ice-skated was for a birthday treat when I was 9 years old and I loved it. I only went a few times as a kid but I remember falling a lot, getting back up again, laughing a lot, losing my voice, burning my mouth on hot chocolate and going home covered in brusies. I’d be bombing around completely out of control and being really envious of those flash guys going backwards thinking ‘I wish I could do that’.”

What’s the most challenging thing about this job for you?
“The biggest thing for me is maintaining personal control of what I’m doing on the ice because so much of what we do is designed to wow people but the amount of groundwork you have to put in to make it safe is paramount. I’m desparate to be able to throw Kristina above my head and spin her around … There’s definitely an edge of jeopardy, which makes it appealing to the general public. The most challenging thing is getting out there and looking like I’m happy when I might not be.”

What’s been the most enjoyable and rewarding thing about the job?
“I was so excited to be able to come back and revisit what I thought was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’m not going to get the chance to work with Torvill and Dean again, and they are two incredible people. My partner’s incredible, she’s patient, she deserves a medal for the amount of mistakes I make and she just says ‘try it again, get yourself up and try it again’. And she’s doing that five hours a day. To have her is a blessing.”

Can you tell us about your preparation for the tour?
“I got told by the physio that the upper half of my body had depleted and my muscles had shrunk, so for the last few weeks I’ve put on half a stone, to work up the core strength and stability to lift Nina.”

What’s your favourite routine?
“Bolero. It was everything we aimed for last year and it wasn’t an anti-climax. It was all about having a connection. The fact that there are millions of people watching TV means a lot but the Bolero summarizes the experience that I’ve had with Kristina and Jayne and Chris.”

Top skating tip:
“Chris said to me: ‘The ice is your friend. You need to discover that sooner rather than later cos you’re going to keep falling over’. So, learn how to fall and not hurt yourself.”