BWW Interviews: Robin Cousins, Olympic Gold Medallist, Musical Star, And DANCING ON ICE Judge!

Hello Robin, and welcome to BWW:UK. Congratulations on another successful series of Dancing on Ice. How are you finding it compared to the other series, particularly with the pared-down judging panel? (This series has three judges, as opposed to five previously.)

I am very happy with the way the new panel works. We have more time to speak and get the point across, we can agree AND disagree and I feel the audience and skaters get more out of us now than in past series.

Now you're the only skater on the panel - that seems to me to be a greater responsibility than in the series when you were always billed as "head judge"! Would you agree, or am I overreacting?!

Not really, I have in the past and always will put the skating first and I try to get my point across in a way that makes sense to the viewers who for the most part are not skating aficionados. A lot of what I see, and Nicky [Nicky Slater] and Karen [Karen Barber] in the past, would be too difficult to try to explain in 15 seconds of airtime! Also I love that both Emma [Emma Bunton] and Jason [Jason Gardiner] want to understand the craft of skating and are happy to ask questions when we are watching rehearsals that will help them in their own evaluation. The bottom line is it's an entertainment show, and as much as we try to give the audience a steer with all our comments, they will always go with their own opinions whether through the skating or performance.

You manage to stay very calm when all around you is chaos - do you ever feel like getting involved in some of the spats or are you happy to stay out?

As head judge I am there to break a tie and have the final say if there is a breakdown in the scoring system, and to help keep the show working. I am not there to interfere or baby sit! It's also difficult to hear every comment as the studio audience can be so loud and vocal too. I am not combative om my nature so it's hard to think that I would at some point have to argue but I will stick up for my corner if the time comes!

Is there any chance we'll see you skate on the show soon? If Jayne and Chris can do it...

That would be nice but I would need enough warning to get back into public viewing shape, it's been 11 years since I last skated in a show!

As well as your TV work, you've also choreographed skating entertainment shows such as Holiday on Ice, which of course you've performed in as well - how do you approach choreography? Do you think about the kind of routines you'd like to skate, or what you'd like to watch? Or a combination?

I love to create, and I have been choreographing for skating since I was 15 and even created routines for competitors of mine! For each event or show you have to know what you want to achieve with the piece you are creating. I find out what needs to be said or done with the piece and then spend a great deal of time finding the right music that will help me deliver that idea. I only create material I am happy to sit and watch as well. It has to appeal to me as a spectator and not just as a skater.

We saw you on stage last year in the cameo role of Teen Angel in Grease - how did you enjoy that? Are musical theatre audiences very different to skating audiences - I suppose the Rocky Horror audiences would be VERY different...?

I love being on stage. My hero was and always will be Gene Kelly and I wanted to be a song and dance man since I was six years old. I did ballet and sang in school choirs when I was younger and I joke now that the skating took me away for a few decades and now I get to sing and dance again. I am grateful for the opportunities I've had, to do the auditions and then get to work with some great talent in some great shows. After spending my life being single-minded and solo-focused I love being a part of a larger cast. Working in the theatre the audience is so close to you; to me even theatres like the Drury Lane and the Palladium are intimate compared to a 10,000-seat arena where you can barely see past the first few rows. You learn to work big in those places!

Can we expect to see you back in the West End performing very soon?

I would like to think so, and not just in a musical. But it's down to the audition process, the director and availability. I have never been one to assume things will happen so my ear is always to the ground and I am game for most things!

Finally, your twitter talk of baking cakes to scoff on the show every Sunday evening is intriguing. What's your favourite type of cake?

I am not a regular baker till DOI comes around but I do like to cook often. I think carrot cake is my favourite but I feel like I may need to experiment with more interesting ingredients to keep my judging mates happy!

See Robin on Dancing on Ice on ITV1 every Sunday evening, and look out for his Holiday on ice show, set to return to the UK next year.

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