Dancing On Ice dream over for Sharron Davies

Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies will not be bringing home any medals after she was voted out of Dancing On Ice.

Not such an ice queen: Sharron Davies should stick to swimming

The 47-year-old presenter went up against Inbetweeners star Emily Atack in the skate-off but was voted out of the competition by the panel of experts who opted unanimously to save her younger rival.

After hearing she was to leave the ITV1 show last night, a dignified Davies vowed she would not bid goodbye to the ice.

"Thank you very much for the experience - I will not be hanging up my skates," she said. "I shall carry on going down to the Swindon ice rink and doing my skating."

The mother of three had battled to stay in the competition which has taken its toll on her body.

During the series she has struggled to overcome problems with her lower back, shoulders and knees.

Wearing a lilac outfit she took to the ice with skating partner Pavel Aubrecht and a determined expression on her face for her final performance.

But ultimately it was not enough to save her.

The champion athlete, who has taken considerable flack from judges during the series, later left the show with a smile on her face.

"I have had such a great time on the programme," she said, amid cheers and screams from the audience.

Earlier in the show, viewers watched Hollyoaks star Gary Lucy put up a determined performance despite a knee injury caused when he crashed down on to the ice during training.

The actor said he woke up "stiff as a board" ahead of the competition but his efforts were rewarded and he scored a respectable 22.5 points.

Judge Emma Bunton heaped praise on the 28-year-old's skate, saying: "It was smooth, strong, I love the way you throw Maria (Filippov) around with ease - you told a story tonight and I got it."

And she added flirtatiously: "Gary, I thought you were actually quite sexy tonight."

Meanwhile her co-judge Nicky Slater told Lucy his skating was "stepping up week by week".

But it was actress Hayley Tamaddon who really stole the show.

She and her partner Daniel Whiston finished top of the table with 26 points for the second week running - the highest score so far in the series.

Dressed in a sparkling white outfit, a glowing and slightly breathless Hayley said: "I'm feeling the pressure if I'm honest, week to week."

Though the panel awarded her high scores across the board, sharp-tongued Jason Gardiner admitted he was tough on the actress because of her evident ability on the ice.

"I do rate you but I do score you harder and tougher because I know we can get more out of you," he said.

But he insisted the competition was "not a one-horse race", saying: "We have probably three very good contenders."