Dancing On Ice is back on ITV tonight for the final of the 15th series of the show, with Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern hosting the episode amid speculation over the show’s future
Holly Willoughby confessed she was getting emotional just moments into the final of Dancing On Ice, as the future of the show remains uncertain.
The ITV series, which started in January, is set to finish tonight. Holly, 44, and Stephen Mulhern, 47, introduced the final with an emotional address. The episode started with a montage of the season, with several clips throughout the season before finalists Anton Ferdinand, Michaela Strachan, and Sam Aston entered the rink together for a group skate to Sigma and Morgan’s Adrenaline Rush, joined by some of the show’s professional skaters.
After the performance, Holly and Stephen gave audience a rough guide on what’s in store for the rest of the show. Holly said to the audience: “It’s so exciting in here tonight, I can’t tell you.”
While golding the trophy, Stephen revealed: “It’s gonna be an emotional night.”
Holly added: “I know … don’t!” To which Stephen quipped: “You’re getting emotional already.”, reports the Mirror.
Referring to the opening moments of the final, Holly shared with her co-host: “That set me off just now.”
The future of the show remains unclear as ITV have suffered plummeting figures this season. Over the past two years, the ITV show has lost more than one million viewers, with the 2023 launch episode being watched by 4.1 million people.
However, this series has not managed to make it over 3million, according to official overnight ratings from BARB. According to reports, ITV bosses will only keep the expensive-to-run show going if it reaches good ratings, something it has struggled to achieve this year.
ITV reportedly need big viewing figures to be able to maintain the expensive production and running costs of the show.
A source close to the show revealed: “There are very real fears this is the end of the road for Dancing on Ice. 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.
“We need bums on seats but the ratings have dropped to a point where it’s difficult to justify the cost.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
