ITV dramatically axe Dancing On Ice after 19 years as viewing figures plummeted

Dancing On Ice axed by ITV after 19 years as viewing figures continued to plummet

The celebrity ice-skating show has been axed for the second time after audience numbers slipped to 2.4million during the recent run, bringing to a close Holly Willoughby’s time on ITV

Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern hosted the last ever series of the ITV show

Dancing on Ice will not return to celebrate its 20th anniversary next year on ITV, as exclusively revealed by the Mirror earlier this month. And the confirmation that the show is being axed after a 19-year run means that former This Morning host Holly Willoughby no longer has any programmes with ITV, for the first time since 2004 when she started on CITV’s Ministry of Mayhem.

ITV bosses have confirmed that the show, which first aired in 2006, is to end after viewing figures dwindled to below 3million for the last series. Judges Torvill and Dean have already announced they are hanging up their skates after the final dates of their tour in May. The most recent final, won by Coronation Street star Sam Aston managed to pull in just 2.7 million viewers – a staggering decline from the viewing figures it once had with an estimated 12 million tuning in during previous years.

Over the years, the show has been hit with controversies, including on-air spats, bitter splits and horrific injuries. During one live broadcast, reality star Gemma Collins took aim at former judge Jason Gardiner for “selling stories” about her. Prior to the news that the show was being axed, insiders and even hosts Holly and Stephen hinted at the news.

An ITV spokesperson said: “Following another successful series earlier this year, Dancing On Ice will be rested in 2026 with no current plans for another series.

The end of Dancing on Ice also brings to an end Holly and Stephen’s time working together, at least for now (Image:

ITV)
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the cast and crew who have worked on the show since 2006, and over the previous 17 series, for all of their hard work both on and off the ice.” Now, the set for the show is said to be being dismantled and placed into longterm storage following the decision to bring the show to an end.

Earlier this week, Christopher Dean dropped a major hint that the show was coming to an end. Speaking about his and Jayne’s Our Last Dance tour, he said: “After the tour finishes in Nottingham, we’ll be hanging up the skates as Torvill and Dean. Will it be a sad moment? Of course!

“We climbed up the mountain, saw the beautiful views, won a few medals and we’re able to bow out on our terms. The journey feels complete.”

Jayne and Chris are also hanging up their skates (Image:

ITV)
Sources from the show had previously said that the set being dismantled was the “final nail in the coffin.” “At this stage bosses are normally approaching celebs and auditioning them – but there’s nothing, and with the set being dismantled, this can’t be a good sign,” they told The Sun.

It comes after channel insiders told the Mirror that the Sunday night series was set to be dropped after sinking to its lowest ever ratings – a far cry from its heyday when 12million tuned in. Bosses believe the only way to justify the huge costs involved in making Dancing on Ice is by attracting a blockbuster audience.

But one insider said: “It’s had a good run for nearly 20 years and has a very loyal set of viewers who really love it but the sad truth is there’s just not enough of them – the ratings have dropped to a point where it’s difficult to justify the cost.”

Last year the show scored its smallest live audience of all time when 2.9million tuned in to one episode, a drop of 700,000 on the 3.6million who’d watched the opener a few weeks earlier. This year, the show kick-off with 2.9million but then dropped down to 2.4million.

Coronation Street star Sam Aston won the most recent series
Many of the 12 celebrity contestants earn six-figure sums because of the months of gruelling training needed to get them up to scratch and able to perform on the ice. ITV also pays big fees to presenters Holly and Stephen, the 12 professional ice-skaters and four judges – comprising ice-skating legends Torvill and Dean plus former Strictly star Oti Mabuse and fellow dance expert Ashley Banjo. They also have to maintain the purpose-built studio rink at Bovingdon Airfield in Hertfordshire.

Another problem for the show has been that female celebrities seem unable to win however skillful they are in the rink. This year’s favourite to win from the first show was Michaela Strachan, who would have been the first woman to win since gymnast Beth Tweddle triumphed in 2013. But in the final, more votes went to Corrie star Sam Aston, who plays much-loved Chesney.

The show launched in 2006 but first ended after its ninth run in 2014, when Torvill and Dean said they wanted to leave “on a high” following the 30th anniversary of their Bolero win. “I think there comes a time when you know we’re not spring chickens any more,” Christopher said at the time. “We’re still able to do it, to a certain degree we feel good about it, but that will go.”

Dancing on ice’s long-term judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are hanging up their skates for good
Four years later the show was rebooted with the pair swapping their role as mentors to the contestants for the judging panel – where they have been ever since.

Holly first hosted the show alongside Phillip Schofield from its launch in 2006 to 2011, when she quit to front The Voice on BBC1, and was replaced for three years by Christine Lampard. She then returned when the show was brought back after a four-year absence in 2018.