IT was on Valentine's Day in 1984 that Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean skated their way into the hearts of a global audience to the sensual symphony of Ravel's Bolero. In the UK, the momentous Winter Olympic event in Sarajevo was watched by an audience of 24 million. The pair became the highest-scoring figure skaters of all time, earning gold. Since then, the couple have retained the nation's admiration as sporting heroes.

But this December, they will be seen in a very different light. They will be swapping ice skates for high-tech inline skates and some daredevil routines when they play Cinderella's Fairy Godparents in their first panto.

Jayne, aged 57, said: "It is something we have wanted to do. We finished the Dancing On Ice series a year ago and this was a great opportunity to perform in the theatre which is something we have done before but not in a proper run like this."

In fact it was actor Michael Crawford who advised the couple on performance in 1983 before their tumultuous Olympic victory.

Mother-of-two Jayne said: "We wanted a circus theme in our freedoms programme for the competition. Barnum was playing in the West End so we got tickets to see it. Michael Crawford always used to peek out at the front of house to see who was in and he spotted us in the audience. He sent a message inviting us backstage after the show. He wanted to know what we were doing next and we told him our ideas for the following season and he was so excited about it and wanted to get involved.

"He helped us with the music and came to the ice and helped us with performance. He was the first to say he did not know a lot about skating — but he knew a lot about performing and how to project and what you should be thinking about. We learned an awful lot and he took us up a step. From that time onwards we always thought about those things he taught us and now it has become natural. One of the things he said is 'You have got to believe in it because if you do not believe it how will the audience?'." Torvill and Dean continued to skate together for a further 14 years, winning numerous professional and amateur competitions. Following their professional skating retirement in 1998 the pair embarked on a number of other projects including choreographing for English National Ballet, touring with Stars On Ice and producing ice shows such as Ice Adventures at Wembley, while continuing to choreograph for other dancers. From 2006 to 2014 they became primetime television favourites as coaches, choreographers and performers in ITV's Dancing On Ice, taking the show on the road in their national UK tours.

In 2014 they returned to Sarajevo to dance the Bolero one more time, celebrating 30 years since their Olympic performance.

Jayne said: "It was an emotional time. We had to go early mornings to the ice rink at Alexandra Palace in London because it was Olympic size. We did our routines and then did a full day's work on Dancing On Ice — that was hard. But it was definitely worth it because it was such an amazing experience to be able to go back there and perform for the people of Sarajevo."

Cinderella will run at Manchester Opera House from December 5 to January 3. For tickets visit atgtickets.com/manchester or 0844 871 3018.