Coronation Street star Samia Ghadie admitted that recent speculation over her relationship with Dancing On Ice Sylvain Longchambon added to the pressure of skating for the first time. The actress was one of six celebrities who made their skating debut as the series kicked off on Sunday night - and to add to the pressure she was also the first to perform for the judges. And after her routine she told presenter Phillip Schofield that in spite of the press attention over her alleged close relationship with Sylvain - who recently split from girlfriend Jennifer Metcalfe - she was trying simply to focus on her skating. "Obviously with all the unwanted press attention it has been difficult this week but out there tonight I put all the fallout to one side and didn't let it affect my skating," Samia said. "So regardless of that, that was the best I could do anyway." She ultimately received a mixed response from the judges for her routine - to the Rihanna chart-topper Diamonds - with an opening score of 17.5 out of 40. Newcomer Ashley Roberts told her: "I thought you were skating and sparkling all over the ice. I want to see you own your fierceness the whole time." Meanwhile returning judge Jason Gardiner wasted no time in delivering of his trademark cutting comments, telling her the routine "wasn't so much diamonds as cubic zirconia". However he did offer some words of encouragement, telling her: "I know you are having a problem with the chemistry - don't shy away from that, ignore what everybody is saying but show us that there a strong partnership here and develop it." The opening show also featured performances from TV veteran Keith Chegwin - who returned to the show after having to pull out due to injury in 2012 - Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, former EastEnder Matt Lapinskas, 2005 X Factor champion Shayne Ward and US actress Pamela Anderson. Ultimately it was Matt who found himself at the top of the judges' scoreboard for his energetic routine with partner Brianne Delcourt - scoring 24 out of 40 - while Beth finished second with 21 points. Keith, meanwhile, found himself bottom of the heap with just 15.5 despite his enthusiastic performance to the D:Ream hit Things Can Only Get Better.
