Post by Lane Kent on Jan 22, 2006 22:52:20 GMT
(c) ITV Press
John Barrowman
Age: 38 originally from Scotland via the USA.
Dancing on Ice with Olga Sharutenko
Broadway sensation, John Barrowman, regularly plays to standing ovations in theatre land and has recently appeared in Dr Who as Captain Jack. And he is no first timer on the ice.
Growing up he had a rather out of the ordinary back garden - an outdoor ice rink! And now, back on the ice as an adult he is most looking forward to the live performances and dressing up in glittery costumes!
"I was fortunate growing up,” says John. “My family had a lake, which our neighbourhood all shared, and the parents used to clear off part of the lake and we would ice skate and play hockey.
“We got a little adventurous when the ice was hard enough, and we’d go in a swamp area where the lake froze, all the trees froze out of the lake and we had all these obstacles to go around.”
But despite the back garden ice rink, John still has lots of practising to do and with two performances in pantomime every day, it’s not that easy:
"My day starts at 0920, then I go to the rink from 1030 to 1230 then the rest of the day is panto rehearsals and the West End shows. I finish at 11pm.
“I’m not exhausted though. I understand discipline because of what I do in the theatre. I love being busy and I’m grateful to be busy.”
John is incredibly excited about the challenge ahead - partly because he gets to work with Torvill and Dean who he followed avidly, growing up:
"I’ve been a fan of Chris and Jayne’s since they won the Olympic Gold and the other medals they’ve won. When I came back from performing in the West End back then, one of the things I used to love watching on the television was the ice dance and ice skating championships.
“I admire them as athletes, it’s such a technical sport. I'm a good mover but I understand how much work goes into it and they make it look very easy."
John is the first to admit that he is one of the most competitive people you will meet and would love to win:
"I’m going for broke! Some of these people are my friends outside of this, it’s a competition and I’m probably one of the most competitive people you’ll meet. I still want to have fun, but one of the reasons I do things is because I know I’ll enjoy it and have a good time doing it but I want to win, as do the others probably.”
On his skating partner, John says:
"Training’s going really well. I’m really excited about it. We’re onto choreographing, and lifts.
“My partner, Olga, is a dream, we have a great rapport. She’s never been bossy. She’s been strict once, because I like to laugh a lot and she said “Come on, lets be serious for a minute”. We’re both really enjoying partnering one another and having fun.”
But out of everything, John is most excited about performing on live television and wearing those sequins!
“The whole thing of going live really excites me. I did my television for Live and Kicking when I presented that with Andi [Peters] and the excitement of going live, nothing beats it. The audience reacting and the thrill on your face, knowing that you did it.
“The audience can expect showbiz from me! I want glitter on my costume! For the first time ever I can wear what the Osmonds used to wear!”
John Barrowman
Age: 38 originally from Scotland via the USA.
Dancing on Ice with Olga Sharutenko
Broadway sensation, John Barrowman, regularly plays to standing ovations in theatre land and has recently appeared in Dr Who as Captain Jack. And he is no first timer on the ice.
Growing up he had a rather out of the ordinary back garden - an outdoor ice rink! And now, back on the ice as an adult he is most looking forward to the live performances and dressing up in glittery costumes!
"I was fortunate growing up,” says John. “My family had a lake, which our neighbourhood all shared, and the parents used to clear off part of the lake and we would ice skate and play hockey.
“We got a little adventurous when the ice was hard enough, and we’d go in a swamp area where the lake froze, all the trees froze out of the lake and we had all these obstacles to go around.”
But despite the back garden ice rink, John still has lots of practising to do and with two performances in pantomime every day, it’s not that easy:
"My day starts at 0920, then I go to the rink from 1030 to 1230 then the rest of the day is panto rehearsals and the West End shows. I finish at 11pm.
“I’m not exhausted though. I understand discipline because of what I do in the theatre. I love being busy and I’m grateful to be busy.”
John is incredibly excited about the challenge ahead - partly because he gets to work with Torvill and Dean who he followed avidly, growing up:
"I’ve been a fan of Chris and Jayne’s since they won the Olympic Gold and the other medals they’ve won. When I came back from performing in the West End back then, one of the things I used to love watching on the television was the ice dance and ice skating championships.
“I admire them as athletes, it’s such a technical sport. I'm a good mover but I understand how much work goes into it and they make it look very easy."
John is the first to admit that he is one of the most competitive people you will meet and would love to win:
"I’m going for broke! Some of these people are my friends outside of this, it’s a competition and I’m probably one of the most competitive people you’ll meet. I still want to have fun, but one of the reasons I do things is because I know I’ll enjoy it and have a good time doing it but I want to win, as do the others probably.”
On his skating partner, John says:
"Training’s going really well. I’m really excited about it. We’re onto choreographing, and lifts.
“My partner, Olga, is a dream, we have a great rapport. She’s never been bossy. She’s been strict once, because I like to laugh a lot and she said “Come on, lets be serious for a minute”. We’re both really enjoying partnering one another and having fun.”
But out of everything, John is most excited about performing on live television and wearing those sequins!
“The whole thing of going live really excites me. I did my television for Live and Kicking when I presented that with Andi [Peters] and the excitement of going live, nothing beats it. The audience reacting and the thrill on your face, knowing that you did it.
“The audience can expect showbiz from me! I want glitter on my costume! For the first time ever I can wear what the Osmonds used to wear!”