Nicky Slater

Singer-songwriter, writer, entertainer

From his earliest days Nicky 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 referencing his ice dance, theatrical and arena based performances and the productions he's been part of over the years.

In Autumn 2016 he released a Christmas single and short film 'It's That Time Again', a jazz single 'Gentle Love Songs', a song and short film 'Donald and the Button of Death' under his NICSTA brand, posing questions about America's new president. An album and book 'Searching For Me' are due to be released in 2017.

Slater writes from guitar, piano or voice. He works with producers in Kelowna, Canada where he emigrated to with his family in 2016.

Skating career highlights and recent TV

English ice dancer. During his skating career he was British Ice Dance Champion, Junior World Champion and ranked fifth in the World also winning a bronze medal at the 1983 European Championships. He competed at two Olympic games, finishing 12th and 6th with skating partner Karen Barber.

Between 2006 and 2010, Slater was a judge on the ITV celebrity ice skating show Dancing on Ice. He returned as a guest judge in 2014, standing in for Robin Cousins. He also judged on the arena tours. He had previously judged The World Professional Figure Skating Championship for ABC and Strictly Ice Dancing for the BBC.

Slater continues his commentary work for Eurosport Television on Figure Skating Championships.

Early life

Slater's, parents John and Joan Slater (nee Dewhirst), were World Professional and British Ice Dance Champions. They retired to coach at Liverpool Rink then Manchester Ice Palace and finally Altrincham Ice Rink. Slater grew up in an ice rink environment, attended Parr Lane County Primary School, and after failing his Eleven Plus Exams to North Cestrian Grammar School in Altrincham.

Skating career

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.

Post-competitive career

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.

He was Marketing and Communications Director of The Shaftesbury Society for five years, during which time he gained a Masters in Marketing from Bristol Business School at The University of the West of England. After this he endeavoured to develop ice rinks in the UK for five years.

He has produced ice spectaculars in the US as CEO and Creative Producer with his company Adventure On Ice working in partnership with Robin Cousins and Disson Furst and Partners. Together the partnership produced:

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 has also contributed to Sense-National Deafblind and Rubella Association's City Ice Skate events.

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

Television

Since his retirement from competitive skating, Slater has worked as an 'in vision' expert and commentator on ice skating for both ITV and Channel 4, and as a commentator on Star, HDTV and on British Eurosport where he has also anchored a number of shows. He has been the "surprise" on an episode of Surprise Surprise.

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.

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.

Personal life

Slater is married to Christiane and has a son, Benjamin Edward 'Tiger', born in February 2008.

Competitive highlights

^A This was the only time that Nicky competed with Kathryn Winter, the rest were with Karen Barber.