They took their first steps on the ice back in January.
And the grand final of Dancing on Ice has been a long time coming for finalists, singer Jake Quickenden, soap actress Brooke Vincent and rugby stud Max Evans, as they took to the rink for the last time in the ITV competition.
Love Island star Kem Cetinay came the ninth celebrity eliminated from DOI last week, narrowly missing out in this week’s final.
Dancing on Ice: Jake Quickenden, Brooke Vincent and Max Evans battle it out in the rink for the grand finale of the competition
X-Factor star Jake almost didn’t make the final after dislocating his thumb during a reversal with judges Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill.
The emotional singer was concerned his place in the top three could’ve been in jeopardy after a back flip caused his thumb to dislocate, but quickly returned to the ice to perform a show-stopping ‘urban cowboy’ routine to Elvis Presley and Junkie XL’s hit A Little Less Conversation.
Jake sent the fans wild with his shimmying hips as he jived to the dance tune with partner Vanessa Bauer – a routine created by the iconic skating duo.
Banged up: X-Factor star Jake almost didn’t make the final after dislocating his thumb during a reversal with judges Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill
Show stopping: The emotional singer was concerned his place in the top three could’ve been in jeopardy after a back flip caused his thumb to dislocate, but quickly returned to the ice to perform a show-stopping ‘urban cowboy’ routine
The judges – who were not giving out votes for the final – were unanimously in awe of the routine, with Chris running up to the singer to embrace him in an emotional hug.
Jubilant Chris cheekily told hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield that he’d been ‘dying to get his hands on Jake’, and that his routine was ‘incredible.
Jayne, along with judges Ashley Banjo and Jason Gardiner, agreed that she struggled to ‘spot the celebrity amoung the rest of the dancers.
Sizzling: Corrie actress Brooke and her partner Matej Silecky turned up the heat with her Aladdin-inspired Genie In A Bottle routine
Sensational: Chris was highly impressed with Brooke’s performance, calling her penultimate routine ‘the best I’ve seen you performing’
Ashley and Jason were in agreement with Jayne, with Jason admitted to Jake: ‘You are now up there with the pros, I can’t tell the difference, it’s joyful to watch you.
‘It’s a testament to your skill that we can’t tell the difference’ Ashley concluded.
Corrie actress Brooke and her partner Matej Silecky turned up the heat with her Aladdin-inspired Genie In A Bottle routine.
Chris was highly impressed with Brooke’s performance, calling her penultimate routine ‘the best I’ve seen you performing’, but Jason wasn’t as convinced, as he argued not all the ‘highly stylised moves’ were pulled off.
Criticism: Jason wasn’t as convinced, as he argued not all the ‘highly stylised moves’ were pulled off
Next up, England rugby star Max and his pro Ale Izquierdo proved they were Born To Be Wild with their routine to the Steppenwolfe classic tune.
The leather and tassel-clad star kept his cool as he lifted Ale up for another impressive move, but the routine didn’t take the fancy of Jason.
The Aussie choreographer diverted from the positive reviews from his fellow judges, and criticed the sportsman for his lifts, and told Max: ‘It was a perfect style of routine for you, you come alive during hard lifts, that’s when your performance elevates, but I felt like the showman wasn’t there tonight.’
All three couples danced two routines for the grand finale, choosing their favourite routines from across the series.
Concentrating: Next up, England rugby star Max and his pro Ale Izquierdo proved they were Born To Be Wild with their routine to the Steppenwolfe classic tune
Ready to lift: The leather and tassel-clad star kept his cool as he lifted Ale up for another impressive move, but the routine didn’t take the fancy of Jason
An emotional Jake relived his first moments on the ice in a sweet VT with pro Vanessa, who told the singer he was ‘the best partner I could ever wish for.’
Jake won praise across the board once again for this new take on his former routine to Jamiroquai’s Just dance, which was the first dance that made him ‘fall in love with skating’.
All four judges stood up in praise of Jake’s velvet tracksuit-clad performance, with Jason excitedly telling Jake he was a ‘champion’.
It may have inspired judge Ashley Banjo to take to the rink as he told the skating pair the routine was ‘my favourite routine of the entire series. It makes me want to get out of this chair and skate’.
Soap star brook wowed the judges with the first routine in which she felt her personality shone through, dancing a jive-inspired routine to Stefan & Rebekah – Sing, sing, sing, everybody start to sing.
A tearful Brooke couldn’t help but get emotional about her journey to the final, telling her partner Matej that ‘from week one we’ve been on a squiggly journey, and for the first time [in this routine] it felt like we did it.’
Judges Torvill and Dean agreed the actress ‘performed it better than the first time’.
Max admitted he ‘feels like a skater now’ during his reflective VT’ before taking to the ice to dance to Ed Sheeran’s Perfect, which was their original first dance of the series.
The starry-night theme impressed the judges, even though the sportsman almost slipped during one his usual lifts with partner Ale.
Jason happily complemented Max on his hard work, telling him: ‘It was really brave to do this one, the sense of courage to show a softer side’.
All the former contestants returned to the rink to perform a small segment from one of their dances from across the series, including Stephanie Waring, Antony Cotton and Donna Air.