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James Jordan crowned winner of Dancing On Ice

The former Strictly star beat Wes Nelson and Saara Aalto in the final.

James Jordan has skated his way to victory on Dancing On Ice, despite battling a shoulder injury.

The former Strictly star was crowned the champion after beating Wes Nelson and Saara Aalto in a gripping finale.

Jordan, who hurt his shoulder during training, was tearful as it was announced that he and his skating partner Alexandra Schauman were the winners.

“I can’t believe it,” he said. “I couldn’t have given any more.”

He said the only reason he had to work so hard was to beat Nelson, who came second in the ITV competition. Aalto was third.

The three final contenders each had to skate two routines, one new and one favourite from earlier in the 10-week series.

Nelson and Aalto both scored top marks of 40 out of 40 for their first skate while Jordan was just behind on 39 out of 40.

However, he pulled it back up for his second performance, which saw all three receive 40 from the panel Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean, Ashley Banjo and Jason Gardiner.

Aalto was eliminated first after a public vote but said she still felt “so good” about what she and her skating partner Hamish Gaman had achieved.

“This is the best night for us,” she said.

The final challenge saw Jordan and Nelson skating their interpretation of Bolero, the routine that won Olympic gold for Torvill and Dean in 1984.

Both received standing ovations from the panel.

The panel noted the “passion” that Nelson and his skating partner Vanessa Bauer expressed, and Dean told Jordan his and Schauman’s was “simply one of the best Boleros we’ve had”.

Earlier, the dancer thanked the programme’s physio for helping him get out on the ice.

He said he had spent six hours with her on Sunday.

“Without her I wouldn’t be here today,” he said. “I owe her everything.”

The final also saw the return of the other contestants who had been eliminated over the series, including Gemma Collins, Brian McFadden and Jane Danson.

Another highlight was a performance from ice dance champions Torvill and Dean, to Bridge Over Troubled Water.