The pair said the news was the perfect way to end their careers, as they prepared to hand the mantle on to the next Olympic hopefuls.
They are most famous for winning gold with their iconic perfect score Bolero routine at the 1984 Winter Olympics, and since their retirement from competing became TV stars whose popularity endures decades later.
Read next
Glasgow midwife recognised by King in New Year’s honours
Fergus McCann among names in Kings New Year’s honours list
(Image: Newsquest)
They described the honours as “wonderful and humbling at the same time”.
Christopher revealed he had to wait a little longer than his dancing partner to celebrate.
Dame Jayne, 68, said she “couldn’t believe it” when she opened a confidential letter containing the news on a Saturday morning.
After telling her husband, she rang her fellow Dancing On Ice head judge to share the celebration.
Sir Christopher, 67, said: “I was just getting up, still in the PJs. Jayne said ‘go to the letterbox!’, so I went to the letterbox, opened it up and had a look and… the letterbox was bare, nothing there.”
Dame Jayne added: “I was so elated, but then I was thinking ‘there’s something wrong here’. Everything we’ve achieved, we’ve achieved together.”
After a nervous three-day wait, the news reached Sir Christopher of his honour and the pair were able to celebrate together.
He said: “It’s such an amazing award to receive this and we’re really humbled by it.
“We’ve been together 50 years and I think in that time we’ve created this body of work and skated and performed and entertained. We’ve worked with a lot of charities as well, with our skating.
“Just to receive this honour is wonderful and humbling at the same time.”
This year saw them perform in their final tour and dance on the ice for the last time.
Dame Jayne said the timing of the honours seemed “perfect”.
She said: “We did our final tour this year, and that was a big thing for us.
“We had such a great time, we were so happy with the tour and the fact that we got through it.
“It was a big thing for us to mark our career before retirement, and then receiving this award at the end of the year, it’s just finished everything. It’s perfect.”
Sir Christopher added: “Happy now. Retired.”
