In the danceworld, people who teach frequently end up judging events in which their own couples are competing, but in a large event there will be about 10 other judges, so any favouritism easily gets cancelled out.

However, I didn't think that was allowed in ice skating competitions, and certainly in something like DOI I think someone should either be a judge or a coach, but not both. I can't see the point of 5 judges anyway, when only 2 usually get to speak.... 3 would be enough Robin, Nicky and Jason, and let them all talk to each contestant.

Chicken or egg question. Was she a judge before they asked her to be a coach?

Anyway, I thought once Jayne and Chris had given the contestants their routines, they practised them at rinks in their own home town. Presumably if Karen is a coach, she is based in London and favours the London contestants, or are you saying she travels round the country too?

I could live quite happily without hearing another one of Jason's so called "critiques".

He pre-judges all the contestants and marks them on that rather than what they actually do on the night!

Karen has alwasy been both a judge and a coach on the show.

She is based in London when the show is on. There is also another coach who works with the couples based in London, Mark Naylor.

Karen's husband trains the northern based skaters like Kieron & Hayley.