Entertainment
Dancing On Ice cut short after horror injuries and coronavirus cases
Dancing On Ice has had its series cut short following multiple injuries and dropouts.
The series has been plagued by issues this year, from skaters contracting Covid-19 to celebrities injuring themselves.
A rep for ITV said: ‘ITV have taken the decision to move the final of Dancing on Ice forward by one week. The competition’s final will now take place on Sunday 14th March.
‘Our production team and cast have delivered a fantastic show during incredibly challenging times. Continuing to make the best TV for our viewers is our top priority and we look forward to the rest of the series, on air from this Sunday at 6pm.’
The final was initially planned to take place on March 21.
A source told The Sun that the team was ‘gutted’, but: ‘Ultimately, due to injuries and shooting the show during a pandemic, they’ve been left with no choice.
‘They can’t compromise on the quality of the programme, so in order to keep it to the high standards that everyone expects, they’ve decided to trim the series by a show.’
The show had already been forced to take a week off to protect the welfare of the cast and crew.
Dancing On Ice always sees more injuries than most reality shows, seeing as it involves celebrities on ice and blades, but this year has seen the most dropouts ever.
For the first time, the show was forced to use both of their stand-ins, Amy Tinkler and Matt Richardson, as injuries and Covid-19 forced celebrities out.
Rufus Hound missed a live show after coming into close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus, and was then forced to withdraw after testing positive himself.
Joe Warren-Plant and his partner Vanessa Bauer also had to drop out due to positive Covid tests.
Denise Van Outen dropped out after dislocating her shoulder, and Jason Donovan has left due to a back injury.
Billie Shepherd was given a bye week after the death of her grandmother, but upon her return, she suffered a nasty head injury while training and was forbidden from skating after being diagnosed with a concussion.
Due to having taken two weeks off, she was forced to leave the competition.
As well as this, professional skater Yebin Mok dropped out after being stabbed in the shin by partner Graham Bell’s skate, and Matt Evers is now skating with Faye Brookes after her partner Hamish Gaman injured his finger while putting on a sock off the ice.
Faye Brookes, Sonny Jay, Lady Leshurr, Colin Jackson and Rebekah Vardy remain in the competition.
Dancing On Ice returns to ITV this Sunday at 6pm.
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