Monday 22 March

It's a photo finish for the skaters

There’s just one week to go till the final and it’s all coming together for one helluva finish.

You gotta feel for the contestants - think of the hundreds of hours of tireless of practice they have all put in, working through various injuries - not to mention the exhaustion some have pushed through, only to possibly now fall short at the last fence.
 
Hayley Tamaddon is coming up on the outside and fast looking like she could be a winner.

This was another chance for Hayley to show her talent - and also maybe prove a point to the usual people that claim female celebs have it easy being pushed around and lifted by their male partners.

When Dan joined her they established a seamless connection and looked great together.

Awarded a 27.5 overall - with a 6 from Robin Cousins - she was very happy.

Robin: ‘It was beautifully placed tonight and everything was just right for me.’
 
Let’s face it - if Hayley and Dan weren’t in this series I would seriously wonder where the spark had gone. They’re a mile above the competition, are rivetting to watch and there is nothing predictable about their performance. They are fantastic.
 
Gary Lucy and Maria had to up his game where it came to performance.
 
Slower than the others, he didn’t quite fulfil the wow factor for the judges but when Maria came out there there was a definite change of pace and the routine improved massively.
I thought the choice of song was dire for them but they came 2nd on the board with a 22.5

‘You’re a good looking boy” judge Jason said, ‘but you’re SO BORING! Bye bye…’ Like a gent, Gary took it on the chin.
 
Daniella Westbrook pipped Hayley off the top of the board from her 9 week reign having performed another ’corker.’
 
Dancing to ”I Had The Time Of My Life,” wild card of the series Kieron had a load of tricks to perform tonight with Brianne.

Christopher Dean told the audience, “He’s been a dark horse from the beginning and we saw the potential from the start. By the end of tonight I was really impressed with how much he’s developed over the last few weeks.”

And Gary beat Daniella by a whisker in the skate-off – his little girl’s tears were heartbreaking to see.
 
My final predictions: Hayley and Dan will no doubt amaze us, Kieron will do something unpredictable and wild and Gary may very well come out flying.
 
Wishing all of you skaters the very best for next week.
You’ve come so far since the start of the series and no matter what happens now, you’re in the final.