'Voice' of Dancing on Ice, Tony Gubba, dies aged 69

Sports presenter Tony Gubba, who was known to millions of viewers as the voice of Dancing On Ice, has died at the age of 69.

His death - after a short illness - was announced by his family, just hours after the final of the ITV celebrity ice dancing contest.

Tony spent much of his TV career working for the BBC, as a commentator and presenter for Saturday sports show Grandstand as well as the midweek sports show Sportsnight.

Dancing On Ice presenter Phillip Schofield was among those who paid tribute, and said his colleagues on the show would miss him.

"We were all aware how poorly he was, but this is very sudden and is a dreadful to everyone who knew and loved him," he said. "A genuinely delightful, kind, dedicated and talented man."

Phillip, who said he was speaking with the 'saddest of hearts', went on: "All my love and condolences to his family. I'm so glad I had the privilege of working with him and getting to know him. All of us at Dancing On Ice will miss him terribly."

Tony had been with the ITV show since its launch in 2006.

He has two daughters, Claire, 40 and Libby, 38 and three granddaughters, and had been with his partner for 15 years.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.