'Dancing On Ice': Tim Vincent

With the benefit of hindsight, Tim Vincent's Dancing On Ice demise was as predictable as one of Jason's put-downs. After failing to attempt this week's required element – a particularly tricky-looking spin - he was awarded a paltry 12.5 by the judges, the lowest score of the week. As the former Blue Peter presenter admits, a "broom-handle" could have beaten him in the skate-off. But is he disappointed to be out of the competition? With a return to British TV on the cards, including a presenting role on BBC One's new National Lottery show, not in the slightest.

How are you feeling today?
"Relieved! The show's more than half-way through now, so it's shooting ducks time. I wasn't right at the top, and I wasn't right at the bottom, so I'm just chuffed to have made it this far."

What do you think was your undoing?
"Well, I think my performance was fine - I just wasn't able to master the required element, which was the spin. You know, I genuinely mean it when I say I'm happy to go out now. I didn't drop anybody, I didn't trip over or rip my lycra and I didn't do anything ridiculous. I think people will just think that I tried my best."

If the spin element had come a week or two later, do you think you could have mastered it?
"Maybe. It's one of those things that you wouldn't know unless you tried it, and I'm certainly not going to head to the ice rink now to practise it!"

Jason said your routine "wasn't indicative of a week five performance". Do you think that was a fair comment?
"Actually, no, I don't. People have said to me that the standard on this year's show is much higher than previous years. What we're doing as our required elements now would have come much later in previous series. Maybe Jason does have a point, but I certainly wasn't falling over or skating round just being held."

Jason seems particularly scathing this year. Do you think he means what he says, or is he just playing the game?
"A bit of both. Do I respect him and what he says? You know, I respect him the way I'd respect any pantomime villain. We're supposed to boo him. If he wasn't who he was, he wouldn't be on the show and they'd get someone else to do what he does. I don't take anything he says personally."

Is he friendly if you bump into him backstage?
"He's slightly nervous. Steve [Backley] and I bumped into him a few weeks ago when we were walking from the studio to the bar after the show. We just happened to be walking past his dressing room door as he was opening it, and he shut the door on us. I was like: 'Hey come on out!' He was a bit nervous to see what Steve's reaction would be, because he'd had a bit of a go at Steve that week, but we all just had a joke about it."

Do you think he's still frightened of Steve?
"I don't think so, because he now knows Steve and knows that nothing's going to happen. At the end of the day, it's not the Olympics. It's just a TV show."

Did you feel confident going into the skate-off against Steve?
"I didn't feel confident, but not because I was going against Steve, to be honest. At that point I could have gone up against a broom-handle and I'd have gone out. I knew I wasn't going to be able to do the required element at the end of the routine, so I was going to be voted off."

After his performance on Sunday, do you think anyone's capable of beating Chris Fountain?
"Well, Gareth Gates is very good, but he obviously played ice hockey like Chris when he was growing up. If Gareth can get up to Chris' standard, he could win, because he'll have gone on a really big journey to get to that point."

What did you enjoy most about your Dancing On Ice experience?
"I enjoyed the discipline of it, but I didn't enjoy the frustration of not being good enough. Most people would think that Chris has an advantage because of his skill, but he actually has an advantage because he has so much confidence on the ice. He's not afraid to try things."

Were you frightened of doing yourself an injury?
"Well, in the early part of training, I was hosting a live show for NBC in LA. I had to say to my coach: 'Please don't make me do anything even slightly adventurous, because I can't afford to break my leg.' You know, I couldn't have done my job - hosting a live show - if I'd had a broken leg."

Has coming over here for Dancing On Ice made you want to take on more British TV work again?
"I wanted to do that even before I did Dancing On Ice. Even though I've guest hosted Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in the States and presented Miss World, I really want to be back in Britain. I've still got commitments to NBC, but I'm going to be coming back over here a lot more often. I just launched the new National Lottery show on BBC One, which is every other Friday for the next three months, so you'll have me until then at least."

Dancing On Ice continues Sunday at 6.10pm on ITV1.