Nicky Slater

From his earliest days Slater was involved in music through his parents’ ice dancing background. From his earliest recollections, he was helping his father edit music on their Ferrograph 'Reel to Reel' tape machine for ice dance performances. Drawing on that upbringing (and over ten years of development and study across areas of songwriting, singing, instruments and music production) he composes and performs his own music.

During the final series of Dancing on Ice in early 2014, judge Robin Cousins was absent for weeks six and seven of the show due to him commentating at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Slater stepped in as judge on the show, whilst Karen Barber was acting as head judge. He had previously judged The World Professional Figure Skating Championship for ABC and Strictly Ice Dancing for the BBC.

Slater attended Parr Lane County Primary School and North Cestrian Grammar School in Altrincham. He is married to Christiane and has a son, Benjamin Edward 'Tiger', born in February 2008.

Since 2006 he has focused on developing himself as a singer-songwriter and music producer.

In 2005, he produced and starred in The Finding a Wife Tour a UK theatre show. In 2008 he created and starred in Ice Times and toured UK theatres skating with Louise Owen and Charlotte Aitken.

Slater appeared as a judge on the BBC One spin-off show Strictly Ice Dancing in 2004. This was a one-off episode which aired on Boxing Day. In 2006, he joined the ITV celebrity skating show Dancing on Ice as a judge, a role in which he continued for five years. In October 2010, it was announced that Slater would not return as a judge for the sixth series in 2011. During his time on Dancing on Ice, Slater also worked on the Dancing on Ice tour.

Slater has produced ice events, his first being Sport Aid at the NEC in 1986 in aid of the Band Aid Trust. He conceived and produced skate-along a national skating fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis Trust launched on Blue Peter and ran ice gala tours in the UK to benefit cystic fibrosis research and as independent productions.

With partner Kathryn Winter, he won the 1976 World Junior Championships. When that partnership ended, he teamed up with Karen Barber. They won the bronze medal at the 1983 European Championships. They represented Great Britain at the 1980 Winter Olympics, placing 12th, and at the 1984 Winter Olympics, where they placed 6th. They were British ice dance champions in 1985.

Nicholas Mark Slater (born 6 April 1958) is a former ice dancer and TV and theatrical performer.

Slater's parents, Joan Dewhirst Slater and John Slater, competed together in ice dancing, winning silver at the 1952 and 1953 World Championships. They were also World Professional champions. They retired to coach at Liverpool Rink then Manchester Ice Palace and finally Altrincham Ice Rink.