ITV has announced that Dancing on Ice will be “rested” in 2026, with no current plans for another series. The long-running celebrity skating competition, which first aired in 2006, has seen more than 200 contestants take to the ice over 17 series.
The show, which pairs celebrities with professional ice skaters to perform choreographed routines in front of a judging panel, previously took a hiatus in 2014 before returning in 2018. However, falling viewer numbers in recent years have contributed to its latest break.
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.
“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.”
Declining viewership and presenting changes
Once a Sunday night favourite, Dancing on Ice has faced a decline in audience figures in recent years. The opening episode of the 2025 series attracted an average of just 2.9 million viewers across ITV and its streaming platform, ITVX. This marked a drop from the 3.6 million who tuned in for the 2024 launch, which had also signified Holly Willoughby’s return to television after leaving This Morning in October 2023.
At its peak in 2024, the show had drawn four million viewers, whereas this year’s season opener managed only 3.1 million at its highest point.
The show’s hosting team has also changed over the years. Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were the faces of the programme from its inception until 2011, when Christine Bleakley replaced Willoughby for three series. Willoughby later returned alongside Schofield in 2018, but his departure from ITV in 2023 led to Dancing on Ice bringing in Stephen Mulhern as co-host.
Schofield resigned from ITV after admitting to an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with a much younger male colleague at This Morning. His exit came amid intense media scrutiny, and his long-standing partnership with Willoughby came to an abrupt end.
A legacy of skating stars and judges
Since its launch in 2006, Dancing on Ice has showcased a diverse range of celebrity contestants, from actors and musicians to athletes and reality stars. Past winners include Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, who claimed victory in 2013, and this year’s champion, Coronation Street actor Sam Aston, who triumphed alongside professional skating partner Molly Lanaghan.
The judging panel has remained a key part of the show’s appeal, with Olympic ice dance legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean serving as head judges since the beginning. They were most recently joined by Diversity star Ashley Banjo and former Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse.
Christopher dean on the future of dancing on ice
The future of Dancing on Ice has been a topic of speculation, with Christopher Dean himself admitting that he is unsure whether the show will return.
Speaking to Saga Magazine, Dean said: “Jayne and I decided to call our new tour, which starts this month, Our Last Dance because this really is the end.”
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“There may be another series of Dancing on Ice – we don’t know yet,” he added.
Last year, Torvill and Dean marked the 40th anniversary of their iconic Olympic gold medal-winning Boléro routine and announced that they would be stepping back from skating following a farewell UK tour in 2025.
Uncertain future for ITV’s weekend line-up
With Dancing on Ice set to be rested, ITV will need to find a new format to fill its prime-time Sunday night slot. The network has a history of reviving popular programmes, as seen with Big Brother and The X Factor, so there remains a possibility that Dancing on Ice could return at a later date.
For now, however, it appears that the show’s 2025 series could be its last – at least for the foreseeable future.
