Dancing On Ice winner James Jordan is tipping a female contestant to take home the trophy this year. The 46-year-old has been closely following the current series and has been particularly impressed by two contestants, Michaela Strachan and Mollie Pearce.
James believes Michaela, 58, is a “front runner” given her recent efforts. Paired with Mark Hanretty, the presenter earned a commendable 34 out of 40 points for her routine to Shakira’s Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) last weekend.
This result placed the pair joint second on the leaderboard with Anton Ferdinand and Annette Dytrt.
Not far behind in third place was Mollie from The Traitors, another contestant who has caught James’s eye. “At the moment, Michaela and Mollie are my two favourites,” he disclosed, speaking on behalf of Sky Vegas.
James went on to say that Dan [Edgar] and Vanessa [James], followed by Sam [Aston] and Molly [Lanaghan] have also left him impressed.
Anticipating a significant shift in the competition, James remarked: “This is the first year at this stage where I thought that two of the standout people are both females, which is amazing.
“I would love to see a female winner and I didn’t realise it’s been 12 years since a female has won.”
Gymnast Beth Tweddle is the last woman who clinched the title in 2013, and since the show’s return to ITV in January 2018 after a break, no female contestant has won.
According to latest odds from Betway, Michaela remains the frontrunner to win Dancing on Ice with odds at 5/4.
Coronation Street star Sam is closing in at 3/1, while Mollie remains in contention at 4/1.
Betway spokesperson Mike Reading commented: “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.
“At the other end of the market, Love Island’s Chris Taylor—who lost his skating partner Vanessa Bauer due to injury—is a longshot at 25/1, while ex-footballer Anton Ferdinand is a distant 33/1 and most likely to depart next if the latest odds are anything to go by!”.
Dancing On Ice continue tonight at 6.25pm on ITV.