American figure skater Johnny Weir has singled out Amber Davies, Greg Rutherford and Miles Nazaire as the standout performers on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
Weir, who is appearing as a guest judge on the show in the place of Diversity troupe leader Ashley Banjo, said former Love Island star Davies is “killing it on the ice”.
He said: “Amber is definitely killing it on the ice and I think it’s a long time since a woman has won.
“She has a lot of great qualities that could take her to the top of the competition.”
Welsh reality TV star-turned-actress Davies and Made In Chelsea star Nazaire both clinched 35.5 points, the highest of the series so far, on Sunday.
Two-time Olympian Weir called former Buckinghamshire track and field athlete Rutherford “fearless” and said Nazaire is treating the competition “very seriously”.
“Greg has that athletic background that lends itself well to the ice – he’s fearless. I think he did a jump week one,” he said.
On Sunday, Davies was dressed up in a school costume as she performed Revolting Children from Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical with professional Simon Proulx-Senecal.
Weir expressed his “pure excitement” at judging alongside the “legendary” ice skaters Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean while Banjo is on tour with his dance group.
He said: “To sit next to Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean is a huge honour. I was born in 1984, the year they won the Olympics, and even though I was a baby their names are known all over America and they’re legendary.
“For someone like me to sit at the same table as such legendary skaters is always a big honour. Pure excitement!
“(They) have done so much for our sport (ice skating) and revolutionised our sport in so many ways. They’ve shown people it’s OK to be different in our sport.”
Dancing On Ice continues on Sunday at 6.25pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player.