Former champ James Jordan reckons it's about time for a lady to lift the trophy on Dancing On Ice—and with the talent this series, it just might happen. The 46 year old dance maestro, who triumphed alongside Alexandra Schauman back in 2019, has been eyeing up the competition and dishing out his verdicts without holding back. 58 year old Michaela Strachan has caught James' attention as a potential "front runner" after racking up a hefty 34 points out of 40 along with her partner Mark Hanretty last weekend. Their routine to Shakira's Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) landed them in a tie for second place with Anton Ferdinand and his skating mate Annette Dytrt.
Not far behind in third is Mollie Pearce from The Traitors fame, another contestant James can't help but rate highly. "At the moment, Michaela and Mollie are my two favourites," he spilled during a chat with Sky Vegas. Dan [Edgar] with Vanessa [James], followed by Sam [Aston] alongside Molly [Lanaghan] are hot on their skates too. James predicts a seismic shift on the horizon for Dancing On Ice. "This is the first year at this stage where I thought that two of the standout people are both females, which is amazing.", reports Lancs Live.
And it's about time too, according to James: "I would love to see a female winner and I didn't realise it's been 12 years since a female has won.". That's right—gymnast Beth Tweddle was the last woman to be crowned ice queen back in 2013, and since the show's revival in January 2018, no female contender has managed to clinch the win. However, the likes of James, Jake Quickenden, Joe Swash and last year's champion Ryan Thomas have all claimed victory. According to the latest odds from Betway, James' top two favourites need not fret about their standing in the competition, as others are more at risk.
Michaela is currently leading the pack with odds at 5/4 to win the show. Coronation Street's Sam is hot on her heels at 3/1, while Mollie remains a strong contender at 4/1. Betway spokesperson Mike Reading remarked: "As we glide through the competition, the routines are getting stronger each week. Dan Edgar topped the leaderboard last weekend with a slick performance to Blue Moon, but it's still Michaela who placed joint second that punters are backing to go all the way.
