Dancing on Ice 2021 will end early after injuries and Covid dropouts force bosses to bring forward the skating final.
This years' series of Dancing on Ice will be cut short after bosses of the popular ITV show have been forced to trim back the series due to a shortage of skaters for the 2021 line up.
Just last week the show was forced to cancel an episode after health fears.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and injuries to its celebrity skaters have caused chaos with the series ever since it launched back in January.
There have been a total of six injuries in the space of weeks, combined with social distancing rules that has caused them to lose contestants either through injury or by testing positive for Covid.
The show, which even had to draw on its skating reserves for the first time in its 13-year history, soon found itself struggling to keep skaters in the competition.
A source told The Sun that the decision to pull forward the final hasn't been an easy one, "Everybody is absolutely gutted that it’s come to this. 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.
“It means they’ll get to give all the skaters and celebrities a proper semi-final and a grand finale they all deserve.”
The insider added, “Other shows have shot during the pandemic, but doing such a big programme in the very height of the crisis, with the uncertainty that it brings has caused untold headaches. It’s not something ITV have decided to do lightly but they think it’s the right decision.”
The Dancing on Ice injuries so far:
- Denise Van Outen fractured her shoulder in a rehearsal accident and was forced to quit on 26th January after dislocating her shoulder
- Billie Shepherd banged her head on the ice and got a concussion, she later withdrew from the contest
- Jason Donovan sustained a painful back injury, which led to him quitting the show earlier this week
- Reserve Matt Richardson took a nasty fall and ends up with concussion and a black eye but is voted off just days later after his first performance.
- Joe-Warren Plant crashes to the ground as he slips and falls in show debut
- Myleene Klass suffered a torn ligament and a broken toe
- Pro-skater Hamish Gaman snapped a tendon in his hand and quit the show
- Pro-skater Yebin Mok suffered a stab wound from Graham Bell's skate blade in a fall that ‘exposed her tendons’. She was replaced by Karina Mantra as Graham’s partner
- Pro-skater Andy Buchanan has his face sliced by Rebekah Vardy's skate
Dancing on Ice Covid positives:
On the 3rd of February, Rufus Hound was forced to leave the competition after he tested positive for Covid and just nine days later both Joe Warren-Plant and Vanessa Bauer test positive for coronavirus and are forced to leave the competition
Meanwhile, skating reserve Amy Tinkler was given the boy after just two weeks on the ice show.
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