COOL customer Mark Hanretty has told of his pride after finishing in the final three of ITV talent show Dancing on Ice.

The Erskine man and his skating partner Kimberly Wyatt missed out on the chance to perform Ravel’s Bolero, inspired by judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean’s 1984 Winter Olympics performance, ahead of the last public vote on Sunday night.

However, Mark – a former pupil at Trinity High, in Renfrew – said he will look back on the latest series with fondness after receiving much praise for the sparkling routines he performed with Kimberly, who is best known as a member of pop group The Pussycat Dolls.

He told The Gazette: “It went really well the whole season and we couldn’t have done much better. We were top of the leaderboard for seven out of the 10 weeks, so it was a really good run.

“It’s bittersweet to come third, as it would have been lovely to do the Bolero, but I suppose that was out of our hands.

The Gazette: Mark and Kimberly and with Vanessa Bauer, Brendan Cole, Karina Manta and Regan GascoigneMark and Kimberly and with Vanessa Bauer, Brendan Cole, Karina Manta and Regan Gascoigne

“I think this has been one of the most hotly-contested finals ever.”

Sunday’s live final saw Mark and Kimberly up against professional dancer Regan Gascoigne and his skating partner Karina Manta, as well as former Strictly Come Dancing pro Brendan Cole and his partner Vanessa Bauer.

All three couples received perfect scores for their first two performances on the night.

Kimberly struggled to hold back tears following her first routine, set to Joni Mitchell song River, as it told the story of her childhood dream of wanting to be an ice-skater.

The dancing duo received another 40 out of 40 for their second Argentine tango-style routine, recreating their favourite dance of the series.

The Gazette: Kimberly and MarkKimberly and Mark

However, the couple were eliminated following the first public vote of the evening, leaving the final two pairs to each perform their Bolero routines before Regan was crowned as this year’s winner.

On Monday, Kimberly paid tribute to Mark on her Instagram account.

She wrote: “Your knowledge and dedication to the sport is unmatched.

“I am so grateful to have had you as my coach, teacher, choreographer and partner. The trust we built together was next level.”

Mark added: “I’m now planning to do as much parenting as possible, because my poor wife has had to all of that in my absence.”