The thirteenth series of Dancing on Ice has been one hell of a slippery slope for producers as they battled for the show to go on.
It was hit tragically by a contestant losing a family member, and stars and dancers who caught Covid-19 were forced to leave the competition and isolate away from the world.
On top of that, many celebs and performers were also struck by horrific and nasty injuries.
From Jason Donovan pulling out after suffering from back issues, to Billie Faiers’ horrific injury, the series has been plagued by bad luck.
Stars Joe-Warren Plant, Vanessa Bauer, and Rufus Hound were also forced to leave the show after testing positive for coronavirus.
Here’s why all seven stars and dancers left the show early.
Joe-Warren and Vanessa drop out over Covid
Joe Warren Plant and Vanessa Bauer were forced to pull out of the show after testing positive for coronavirus (Image: Instagram)
Joe-Warren, 18, and Vanessa, 24, were devastated after being forced to withdraw from the ITV contest in February after they both tested positive for coronavirus.
After isolating in a hotel room, thankfully the pair returned to the world after 10 days of quarantine as instructed by the NHS.
Sadly, despite fans begging for bosses to do a U-turn and let them return to the show, they never did.
It is unclear if the pair did or did not isolate in the same room together but they were photographed hugging as they appeared to reunite on the streets outside of their hotel.
“They hugged for ages, it looked like they might not let go,” an onlooker told The Sun of the pals.
They later shared a sweet selfie together, with pro skater Vanessa saying: “At least I wasn’t alone in this.”
Rufus Hound’s fiery rant and exit
Rufus Hound had to leave the show after testing positive for Covid-19 (Image: ITV)
On February 3 the bombshell dropped that comedian Rufus Hound and his skating partner Robin Johnstone had been forced to leave Dancing on Ice after the former Celebrity Juice star tested positive for coronavirus earlier that week.
The 41-year-old comedian had already missed two weeks of the show after being told he must self-isolate after getting a Test and Trace notification.
He later contracted Covid-19 himself and has been told to withdraw from the competition.
Confirming the news on Twitter, Rufus penned: “I will no longer be participating in @dancingonice. COVID is – as I’m sure we’re all well aware – a b*****d and sadly the world isn’t short of those.”
He posted a video explaining: “Having come into contact with someone with Covid and isolating it transpired I have Covid.
“Unfortunately the rules on Dancing On Ice are cut and dry – very strict.”
A statement from ITV read: “We can confirm that following a positive test result, Rufus Hound is unable to return to Dancing On Ice this weekend.
“Although Rufus and his partner Robin Johnstone’s time on the ice has been all too brief, they can be truly proud of their achievements.
“We thank them for all their hard work and commitment to the show.
“When the full cast reunite for the series final our hope is Rufus will be able to be back in the studio with everyone.”
Billie Faiers family death and nasty head injury
Billie Faiers was plagued with heartache during her time on Dancing on Ice (Image: ITV)
The Mummy Diaries star’s time on Dancing on Ice was sadly riddled with chaos after her grandmother died at the start of the series and then, on her return, she had to leave after sustaining a head injury.
Also known as Billie Shepherd, her and sister Sam Faiers are said to have been “completely devastated” after their Nanny Wendy passed away on Thursday, January 28, after being diagnosed with pneumonia.
Wendy died at the age of 77 following her battle with pneumonia, according to MailOnline.
A source close to the family told the publication: “The girls are completely devastated.
“They were very close with their Nan and her passing has come as a complete shock to the family.”
Billie, who was partnered with skating pro Mark Hanretty, pulled out of just one live show following the death of Wendy.
Six weeks later Sam and Billie were left “absolutely heartbroken and devastated” after their granddad Mick died.
Nick passed away on Wednesday, March 10, following a long battle with cancer.
A source close to the family told MailOnline: “The girls have been grieving the loss of their nan and now that their grandad has passed away in such short space of time, the girls are absolutely heartbroken and devastated.”
Despite the heartbreak, it was the doctor’s orders that pulled her out of the show after she sustained a bad injury in rehearsals.
On February 6, the 31-year-old former TOWIE star was left with a concussion and was ordered by medics to pull out of the ITV competition.
The mum-of-two was rehearsing with her professional skating partner Mark Hanretty on the Friday prior when she fell.
She was taken to the hospital for an MRI scan to detect any damage to her head.
The star was told to rest on doctor’s orders and was instructed to leave the competition.
A source close to Billie told The Sun: “Billie is absolutely gutted. She’s been really upset all day and would have done anything to stay in the competition.”
Hamish Gaman left after ‘tense meeting with bosses’
Hamish Gaman left after ‘tense meeting with bosses’ (Image: ITV)
Finalist Faye Brookes was first partnered up with professional skater Hamish Gaman.
Hamish, 37, quit the show after sustaining a painful hand injury, leaving him unable to perform a dance based on a scene from the iconic 1990 film Pretty Woman.
After Hamish tore his tendon while putting on socks, it seems that carrying out such a routine would be near impossible.
He told fans: “Hi everyone I’m heartbroken that I’ll no longer be skating with @faye_brookes on @dancingonice.
“I’m so grateful that I don’t need any surgery on my finger, but if I stay in the show I could have an accident and make my injury much worse.”
Faye continued the competition with dancer Matt Evers, who was previously partnered with injured Denise van Outen.
Jason Donovan quit after back injury
Jason Donovan had to quit Dancing on Ice after sustaining a back injury (Image: ITV)
The Aussie star, 52, left the show earlier this year after sustaining a back injury.
Speaking in a video posted to his official Facebook page, Jason said: “Guys I am devastated that due to the ongoing back injury that occurred on Dancing On Ice about ten days ago, and at the advice of my medical team on the show, that unfortunately, I can’t continue in the competition.
“I have to withdraw. It is a nightmare. I am completely gutted.”
He continued: “We put so much work into getting to this point but I have to respect my health and I have to respect to my body moving forward. That is my biggest priority.
“I want to thank everyone at Dancing On Ice, and most importantly within that the celebrities who have become friends and also the pros who just do such a great job with us all.
“I want to thank the fans for voting for me. Sometimes the costumes were colourful and sometimes those moves were dubious but we tried and we went out and gave it our best.”
An ITV spokesperson said: “Jason Donovan has brought us so much joy with his performances on Dancing On Ice – from Priscilla through to the tango.
“Our thanks go to Jason and his partner Alex for being so wonderful and committed to the series. We’re sorry to see them leave and we wish Jason a speedy recovery.”
Denise van Outen left show after painful injury
Denise van Outen left after breaking her shoulder in three different places (Image: Channel 4 / Rachel Joseph)
Denise, 46, broke her shoulder in three places while training for the show, which led to her immediate departure from the competition.
At the start of January, she partially dislocated her shoulder after falling during training and was taken to the hospital to be treated.
But she managed to carry on and take part in her debut performance with her arm strapped up and got through to the third week.
However, going into the third week, Denise confirmed that she has been forced to drop out of the competition after having her arm scanned.
Denise revealed she’d been powering through training with multiple bone fractures as well as the dislocation.
Due to her extensive injury, it was determined that she could not continue to skate whilst she recuperated.
Opening up about the difficult decision, the star shared a picture of her and partner Matt Evers, posting on Instagram: “GUTTED! If you’ve been watching @dancingonice you will be aware that just over a week ago I had a nasty fall and injured my shoulder.
“I managed to skate my first dance with @themattevers on the live show through a gritted smile because the pain was unbearable. I’ve tried as hard as I can to carry on because I love the show and the amazing team in front and behind the cameras.”
She added: “Initially we thought with rest I could make a return to the ice, but a recent MRI scan has shown that I have 3 bone fractures as well as a partial dislocation. OUCH! No wonder I’ve been in agony.
“I won’t be able to do any lifts, tricks or solo skating on the show due to my injury.
“I’m going to bail out gracefully with my DOI bling sling. @themattevers has been the most incredible support and skate partner (a true friend) and I’m so grateful for his expertise in teaching me (ice virgin) the basics.
“I just wish I was well enough to learn all the fabulous tricks my injury won’t allow me to do. Chair dancing on Ice with a massive pie won’t get us points on the leaderboard. I’m actually proud of what I’ve achieved (not much, lowest scores so far).
“If you don’t mind I’m going to give myself a couple of points for bravery for doing cartwheels on Ice at 46 with broken bones.”
She finished: “I wish all the celebs, pros and judges the best of luck for the rest of the series. I’m rooting for you all. Bunch of legends.”
Freak accident saw Yebin Mok drop out before show began
Pro skater Yebin Mok was paired with Graham Bell (Image: ITV)
Dancing on Ice star Graham Bell was supposed to be partnered with Yebin Mok in this series but she had to quit after suffering a gruesome injury, which saw her leg get sliced open.
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield revealed that the injury, which saw her tendons “be exposed” after her skin was sliced by a skate, was so gruesome that they couldn’t show the pictures on TV.
Yebin had to be rushed to the hospital.
Phillip said: “Holly couldn’t even look at it, she had to look away – and it was a very nasty stab wound from an ice blade.
“You could see the tendons, it’s a very dangerous show.”
In his first interview, he said: “I fell when we were training on Monday and Yebin my pro-dance partner fell onto the back of my skate.
“She was cut quite badly on the shin and needed an operation to clean and stitch up the wound.
“She spent Monday night in Watford hospital and was released yesterday, luckily there was no nerve or tendon damage.”
The injury was so serious Yebin pulled out of the show and Graham was forced to pull out of the launch show.
He made his debut return on January 24 with new partner Karina Mantra.
The final showdown plagued by chaos
Hamish Gaman came in to replace Matt Evers as Faye Brookes skating partner (Image: Hamish Gaman /Instagram)
Just two weeks before the final took place all hell broke loose once again as it saw producers move the date of the last show.
After seven stars were forced to drop out of the show before their time, ITV bosses made the decision that the last episode will be brought forward by one week as there are just five pairings left in the running.
An ITV spokesperson said at the end of February: “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.”
As well as this, one episode during the 13th season was postponed by seven days, giving the contestants an opportunity to rest.
On 15 February 2021, ITV announced that they had made the decision to postpone the sixth live show scheduled to air on 21 February in order to give the remaining contestants sufficient time to recover from any injuries.
In a statement, ITV said: “The welfare of all of those involved is important to us and we felt it prudent to take a week’s break at this juncture.”
The episode was instead replaced with a pre-recorded special celebrating the most memorable moments in the show’s history titled Dancing on Ice: The Greatest Show on Ice.
The live shows resumed on 28 February.
Leading up to their last dance for series 13, finalist Faye Brookes and judge Christopher Dean opened up about how dangerous skating can be.
On March 12, GMB hosts Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway spoke to Faye and her dance partner Matt Evers.
Discussing their time on the show, Faye brought up how her first dance partner, Hamish Gaman, had to forfeit after he tore a tendon in his hand.
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have been skating partners for decades
The GMB hosts asked Faye how she felt about his injury to which she replied that it didn’t have anything to do with the ice but the sport is still “dangerous”.
Faye told Ben: “That was off the ice, I definitely don’t think I had a dab hand in that.
“To know that the pros are getting injured, you can see how dangerous this sport is and that’s why we have to be so careful, making sure that we take care of ourselves and knowing that we have that trust on the ice too.”
Professional dancer Christopher, who is a skating performing duo with Jayne Torvill, was left “battered and bruised” after a fall just days before the show’s final.
Every year, Chris and Jayne perform an exclusive and special routine during the Grand Final.
However, with just days to go, Chris revealed on Good Morning Britain that he had suffered an “almighty fall”.
Speaking to hosts Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard, Chris said: “Jayne and I, we haven’t skated for the last eight weeks because we’ve been in our bubble and everything that we’ve done we recorded before, but we are skating this last week.
“And we were just on the ice on Monday and we took an almighty fall, which I’m still paying for, I feel a bit battered and bruised.”
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The former Winter Olympic champion confirmed that he had hurt his back after making sure Jayne hadn’t hit the ice.
He continued: “I caught an edge, I went down but I placed myself under Jayne and she landed on top of me, so she had a nice cushion and it was just my back that took the pressure.”
In true Olympic fashion, Chris said his fall would not be stopping him from performing on the big day – today!
The Dancing On Ice final takes place on ITV at 6pm on Sunday, March 14.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
