Dancing on Ice fans were left bereft in 2014 with the news that the show had been cancelled.
The flagship ITV series drew huge ratings when it premiered in 2006 but was shockingly pulled from air eight years later, following the departure of show staples Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
The Winter Olympic champions announced their intent to depart the series in 2013, when they told ITV bosses they “felt it was time” for the series to end.
Following years off air, ITV confirmed the show would be returning in 2017, with an air date of 2018, and it’s been entertaining audiences ever since.
Daily Star investigates the show’s shocking axe and its subsequent return to screens.
Shock axe
(Image: Ken McKay / Rex Features)
Dancing on Ice delighted fans when it arrived on screens in 2006.
Originally hosted by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, the show’s original judging panel consisted of Karen Barber, Nicky Slater, Jason Gardiner, Ruthie Henshall and Robin Cousins.
Baby Spice star Emma Bunton joined the panel in the show’s first judging panel shake-up.
Torvill and Dean provided the show’s choreography and trained the celebrity contestants.
After Holly departed the show following her pregnancies, she was replaced by Christine Lampard.
Gaynor Faye won the first ever series of Dancing on Ice, while the final series of the first run was won by Ray Quinn in 2014.
The plug was officially pulled in October 2013, months before the supposed final season aired.
Explanation
(Image: Ken McKay / Rex Features)
ITV pulled the first Dancing on Ice run months after Torvill and Dean announced their intention to leave the show after the next season.
Explaining their decision at the time, Christopher Dean told the Mirror: “We’ve had such a great time doing Dancing On Ice that we wanted to finish at the top of our game.
“By the end of the last series we’d started to think about when we should call it a day.”
He added: “So we approached ITV and said, ‘we think it’s time’.
“They didn’t want to make the show without us so we jointly agreed that this would be the most natural way to end the series.”
Surprise return
(Image: David Fisher/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
In spite of its cancellation, Dancing on Ice made a shock comeback announcement in 2017.
Three years after its axing, ITV confirmed the show would be returning to screens – with original presenters Holly and Phil returning to host.
Torvill and Dean would be joining the judging panel this time around alongside OG judge Jason Gardiner and Britain’s Got Talent winner Ashley Banjo – though the show didn’t get off to the easiest of starts.
Out of the gate, the show replaced its commentator Matt Chapman with Sam Matterface and line-up changes continued from there, particularly on the judging panel.
Teething problems
(Image: Matt Frost/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Following his notorious clash with contestant Gemma Collins, Jason Gardiner quit the judging panel in August 2019 and confirmed he would not be returning for the 2020 series.
He was replaced by John Barrowman, though not for long.
After two series, ITV announced in October 2021 that the Torchwood star wouldn’t be returning to the line-up.
Instead, he was replaced by Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse.
Dancing on Ice airs at 6pm on Sundays on ITV.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
