OLYMPIC swimmer Sharron Davies will be back skating in Swindon despite being voted out of the Dancing on Ice contest.

Sharron, 47, who is now a TV presenter, trained for the programme with partner Pavel Aubrecht at the Link Centre and has thanked the people of the town for their unwavering support.

Now, even though she has left the ITV1 show, she will keep on skating.

Sharron 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 show, she said: “Thank you very much for the experience – I will not be hanging up my skates. “I shall carry on going down to the Swindon ice rink and doing my skating.”

Sharron has admitted she developed something of an addiction to skating during her training.

She said: “The people and staff here at the Link Centre have been great and there is such a nice community feeling – everyone has been so kind.

“There is an 80-year-old woman who comes here most days and gets on the ice and it is just such a great skill to have.”

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.

The athlete, who has taken considerable flack from judges during the series, later left the show smiling.

"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.