Nile Wilson has been crowned the winner of Dancing On Ice 2023, beating out Joey Essex and The Vivienne in the grand final.
The Olympian, 27, broke down in tears as he joined his professional partner Olivia Smart lifting the glittering trophy, after wowing viewers with his jaw-dropping version of the iconic Bolero skate.
After over a million votes were received by the British public, presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield congratulated the winners alongside judges Ashley Banjo, Oti Mabuse, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
Getting emotional, Nile said: ‘I want to thank everyone that voted back home, I really appreciate it.’
‘I just want to say, if Dancing on Ice is anything other than entertainment, we’ve got eleven human beings all different shapes and sizes stood on this stage tonight with an allocated time to get good at something and we’ve proved that we can do that.
‘So what an inspirational show! If you put your mind to something and you work hard you can achieve anything you want.’
WINNER: Nile Wilson has been crowned the winner of Dancing On Ice 2023, beating out Joey Essex and The Vivienne in the grand final
Emotional: The Olympian broke down in tears as he joined his professional partner Olivia Smart lifting the glittering trophy
Nile said: ‘I want to thank everyone that voted back home, I really appreciate it.’
Stunning: After his victory was announced, the entire cast of 2022 rushed to the stage to congratulate Nile
Runner-up Joey added: ‘I missed a few steps but it was the best time of my life, well done to Nile and Olivia’
Nile follows in the footsteps of last year’s winner Regan Gascoigne, who won Dancing On Ice 2022 alongside his partner Karina Manta.
The Vivienne and Colin Grafton came in third place during the final – leaving Nile and Joey skating the iconic Bolero.
Nile was up first with an elegant performance and said at the end: ‘I can’t believe I got emotional’.
Joey then took to the ice and gave an emotional performance, with judge Chris saying: ‘You have come so far’ but pointed out a few missteps.
While Nile made history as the first male contestant to perform the headbanger during the grand final.
He was given the maximum amount of points for the show-stopping routine with judges, Ashley Banjo, Oti Mabuse, Jayne Torvill and Chris Dean all scoring him 10.
The headbanger, or the bounce spin, sees a skater picked up their ankle and spun round by their partner.
Due to the potential danger, the move is actually banned by the International Skating Union (ISU), which governs competitive skating.
Performing the move at an ISU event will see points deducted by the judges, but it can be used in routines for exhibition or show skating.
Speaking ahead of his routine Nile said: ‘There’s going to be eight other professionals on the ice and it very very intimidating. I need to blend in with them and not stand out.’
He added: ‘I just want to say, if Dancing on Ice is anything other than entertainment, we’ve got eleven human beings all different shapes and sizes stood on this stage tonight with an allocated time to get good at something and we’ve proved that we can do that.’
He ended with: ‘So what an inspirational show! If you put your mind to something and you work hard you can achieve anything you want.’
Praised: Nile’s skating skills had been lauded by judges Ashley Banjo, Christopher Dean, Jayne Torvill and Oti Mabuse, with his performances earning perfect scores in the final
Source: dailymail.co.uk
