Dancing On Ice / Eliot Pollak / 09 February 2011 /

Revelations of x-rated activities between the Dancing on Ice hot favourite and his partner may not have resonated particularly well with his core fans, says Eliot Pollak

The big tabloid splash of the D on I week was Gardinergate - with the acerbic judge naughtily making a nice blonde woman cry. The laws of modern television state that if you make jokes about women, you lose your job, whilst actually making a real woman cry entirely unnecessarily, is considered fair game. A great example to set for the next generation.

Whilst it may or may not be newsworthy, such shenanigans make no impact on the betting markets. Of more interest however, are the love lives of the participants, and this is where the second revelation of the week sprang, from hot favourite Sam Attwater ([1.57] to win, [1.1] to top score on Sunday.) It turns out that Attwater and his skating partner have in fact been at it like skaters since day one, and even have gruesome nicknames for one another - Tai Tai and Shaneekwa. As to which one is which, who the hell knows (or indeed cares), but it's this kind of overt sex talk that can turn swathes of broken-hearted voters against you. Big mistake Tai Tai. Or maybe Shaneekwa.

One may argue that previous precedents of loved-up partners (Tointon in last year's Strictly) have done contestants no harm in the ballot box. But there is unquestionably a massive difference in how the (largely female) public condemn a male celeb steamrollering his female partner on the one hand, and the far more acceptable female ravishing her male dancer (viewed as feminist aspirational rutting) on the other.

Elsewhere, one to keep a cheeky eye on is Laura Hamilton; [6.0] to win outright and [1.43] to finish as top female. The papers tell us she is taking the show so seriously, that she has even taken to training in the park with a boxing champion. Because if boxing doesn't help you win an ice dance show, I don't know what will.

Another one keeping their head down and getting on with it is Jeff Brazier. After the misjudged gay slurs (see previous issues), he's spent the week diligently working on his ice skating. If you're looking for a rank outsider should some great plague befall the Attwater, Brazier is your man at [34.0]. Certainly the [9.4] in the 'without Attwater' market is worth a look.

For Kerry Katona, however, the clock seems to be ticking ever louder. Jason Gardiner has equated watching her glide around an ice rink to being tortured. And not in a good way either. Not for the first time, KK could be soon searching for a dignified exit from the white stuff.

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