Hats off to him! Matt Lapinskas awarded highest score of series so far after impressing Dancing On Ice judges

PUBLISHED: 19:46, 24 February 2013 | UPDATED: 22:21, 24 February 2013

He came out on top of the Dancing On Ice leaderboard last week.

And it seems Matt Lapinskas is going from strength to strength with his skating skills after impressing the judges with his routine as part of props weeks on Sunday.

The actor beat his own record and was awarded 36 points - the highest score of the series so far.

A pro with a hat: Matt impressed the judges with his routine on Dancing On Ice this weekend after performing with three different hats for his dance

Matt was awarded a score of nine by each of the judges following his performance.

The actor used three hats as his props for the routine and impressed the judges by changing seamlessly between each one during the dance.

Judge Ashley Roberts said: 'It was fun, it was funky, it was fabulous… You did it with confidence… It was just awesome.'

A usually harsh Jason Gardiner said: 'It was genius… It’s very ambitious what you did out there… You showed great skill.'

Head judge Robin Cousins added: 'It was brilliantly done… The two of you between you played creatively with the hat. Brilliant.'

Pulling out all the stops: Matt incorporated a number of impressive moves into his routine and impressed the judges with the use of the three hats he used as props this week

Razzle dazzle them: Former EastEnders actor Matt impressed the Dancing On Ice judges with her performance and also received loud cheers from the audience as he danced

Personal best: Matt used three hats during his routine and won praise from the judges who awarded him the highest score of the series so far

Triumphant: Matt looked delighted after his performance and was awarded the highest score of the series so far

Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle performed to Lady Gaga's hit song Born This way and wore a white costume teamed with a bright blonde wig which made her hair appear as if it was standing on end.

Her prop for this week's routing was a hula-hoop which was chosen to reflect her day job as an athlete.

She was awarded a total of 30 points from the judges and received a mix of comments from the panel.

Ice queen: Beth Tweddle danced to Lady Gaga's song Born This Way and opted for a hula-hoop as her prop for this week's routine

Jumping through hoops: The judges praised Beth for her routine but said she should try to introduce more personality to her dances

Showing off her athletic skills: Beth stood on her hands as part of her performance and utilised her impressive abilities as a gymnast

Robin said: 'It was a great start to the show but I thought it was possibly very slightly predictable… Beautifully done but very safe.'

However, Jason was less impressed, saying: 'For me, I think that you lacked personality throughout… I thought that you were so concentrated on getting everything so perfect… You forget about giving a performance and projecting personality.

Gliding across the ice: Beth and her partner Daniel Whiston appeared to enjoy their performance and smiled throughout their routine

On top of his game: Gareth came in second place on the leaderboard after performing with a rugby ball on Dancing On Ice on Sunday

Meanwhile, rugby player Gareth Thomas came in second place after paying homage to his career in his routine by performing with a rugby ball.

He was awarded a total of 34.5 by the judges and received a number of positive comments.

Robin said: 'Seamless use of the prop… I’ve never known a rugby ball to be elegant or beautiful until the two of you worked with it tonight.'

Standing strong: Rugby player Gareth Thomas showed off his muscles in a tight red top during Dancing On Ice on Sunday night

Lift her up: Gareth lifted dance partner Robin Johnstone in the air as he went around the ice rink as part of his routine

Pleased with his performance: Gareth smiled after he completed his routine and was offered praise by the judges

Jason joked: 'Clearly you’ve had a lot of experience and practice handling balls and it looked that way… I knew you could handle the ball.'

Ashley added: 'It was strong, it was confidence. There was moments when I thought I could have seen a little bit more engagement.'

Fighting for survival: Olympic boxer Luke Campbell began his routine by hitting a glittering silver punchbag before launching into his dance

Olympic boxer Luke Campbell was given a skipping rope for his routine this week.

And his routine was met with equal praise from the judging panel and the audience who cheered the sportsman on as he skated on the ice.

He was awarded a total of 30 points, matching Beth's score, and was given positive comments by the judges who were impressed by his confidence.

Making a good impression: Luke impressed both the judging panel and the audience who cheered the sportsman on throughout his routine

Jumping for joy: Luke looked happy to be taking centre stage and used a skipping rope as his prop on Sunday night

Karen said: 'We all started to doubt you but there was no doubt there tonight. I thoroughly enjoyed it.'

Ashley said: 'I think you had one of the toughest props tonight… You made it work and you did it well.'

And Jason added: 'Jason: Clearly you were in your comfort zone… Well done to you tonight.'

Back with a bang: Luke looked pleased after his performance and judges praised him for coming back with more confidence this week

Coronation Street actress Samia Ghadie used a chair as prop as a nod to her Coronation Street character Maria Connor who is a hairdresser.

She began routine to soap’s theme but soon switched to a more upbeat tune for her performance.

The star just beat last week's score of 27 with an extra point and was awarded a total of 28 by the judges.

Getting her skates on: Samia whizzed around the ice rink on a chair which was intended to pay tribute to her Coronation Street character who is a hairdresser

Dream team: Samia impressed judges by controlling her prop on the ice rink during her routine which she performed with Sylvain Longchambo

Jason said : You actually upped your game in your performance and your skating when you weren’t with your prop… You didn’t allow [the prop] to get away from you. You were more in control… A little bit more from you but it’s moving in the right direction.

Robin added: You upped your game… A girl with attitude showed up tonight and a purpose and that’s what we’ve missed.

Picture perfect: Samia looked sultry as she posed on the ice following her routine during which she used a chair as her prop

Larking about: Show host Phillip Schofield joked that he would use a giant inflatable banana as his prop if he were to take to the ice

KATCHING MY I

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Sunday, 24 February 2013

Matt Lapinskas awarded highest score of series so far after impressing Dancing On Ice judges

Hats off to him! Matt Lapinskas awarded highest score of series so far after impressing Dancing On Ice judges