Former Dancing On Ice star Frankie Poultney says the show is “a different animal” and that it is “not such a bad thing” that she is no longer involved.
The skater, 48, who is married to former England footballer David Seaman, 58, says she feels “very lucky” to have been able to enjoy her time on the programme for nine years.
The popular ITV competition was revived after a hiatus – returning to screens in 2018 – but Poultney was not invited back to join the professional line-up.
But despite the disappointment she told Hello! magazine she prefers to focus on her positive memories.
“I was very lucky because I’d just retired as a professional skater,” she said.
“So to then get another nine years of my career through a show that was at the height of its popularity and everyone loved was extraordinary.
“But since it’s been back it’s a different animal.
“I’m not involved and from what I’ve seen, that’s not such a bad thing because I don’t think it’s what it was and I find that sad.”
Poultney and Seaman married in 2015, six years after they grew close on the 2009 Dancing On Ice tour.
They also skated together during the All Stars series of the show in 2014.
“I loved working with all my friends, I partnered some great celebrities who I remain friends with and I met my husband so I don’t have a bad word for what we produced at that time,” Poultney added.
The latest series of Dancing On Ice started last month.
The full interview is in Hello!, out now.