James Jordan reveals one of his close friends had died as he  joins pals from 'all over the world' for a 'celebratory drink in his honour'

James Jordan paid tribute to a close friend on Monday after confirming he had passed away over the weekend. 

Taking to Instagram, the former Strictly Come Dancing professional shared a message for Andy, a valued member of the dance community and long-term friend.  

He wrote: 'On Saturday I lost a great friend. He was a legend in our dance, but more importantly a legend as a friend. 

'I have many fond memories of my time spent with him and he touched the hearts of so many who knew him.'

Jordan, 46, also admitted he and many of Andy's closest friends had gathered remotely for a celebratory drink in his honour.   

He added: 'Last night a group of us got together on a call from all over the world - Hong Kong, Ireland and England to raise a glass and swap stories. 

'He will be missed by many but never forgotten RIP Andy.'

The tribute comes after Jordan claimed the new series of Dancing On Ice, which returned on Sunday evening, will include some changes to the format. 

'I know that Dancing on Ice have got a new producer this year, who I've worked with before, and I know he's very good at what he does, so I would imagine he's got lots of things lined up to mix it up a bit,' he told The Mirror.

Jordan, who appeared as a contestant on the show in 2019, also insisted younger contestants have a considerable advantage when performing on ice.  

He said: 'I do believe that age plays a big factor in fear. When you're younger, you're a bit more fearless, whereas when you're slightly older you're constantly thinking that you’'re going to break a bone if you fall. 

'I was watching Wes Nelson during my series, who was early 20s at the time and I watched him fall but he got straight back up and laughed it off, whereas when I fell, I'd get a bad injury.

'This is why when I am looking at this year's contestants, I kind of rule out some of the older ones from winning. 

'It's much easier for the younger ones because they're more fearless.' 

In November, Jordan showed off his shredded physique as he posed shirtless for an Instagram post. 

The former Strictly Come Dancing professional shared his dramatic body transformation after 'making the right choices' on his weight loss journey.

He captioned the post: 'For the last month I’ve been focusing on eating healthy and doing Dance Shred pretty much every day.

'Making the right choices are so important and dedication to working out even if I don’t want to. 

'Since seeing the results it motivates me to keep going as I feel so much better within myself.'