Dancing On Ice 2025 winner revealed as ITV show’s future remains uncertain
But will the show be back next year?
The winner of Dancing On Ice 2025 has been crowned…
Tonight, Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern returned to host the skating competition’s grand final, where either Sam Aston, Anton Ferdinand, or Michaela Strachan would lift the trophy.
The Corrie actor, 31, former footballer, 40, and TV presenter, 58, performed several routines, including a showcase, hoping to garner the most votes from viewers at home.
But there could only be one champion—and it was Sam and pro partner Molly Lanaghan who emerged victorious, while Michaela and Mark Hanretty placed second.
The couple appeared stunned as their names were called before their fellow celebs rushed to offer their congratulations.
Earlier in the show, it was announced that Anton and Annette Dytrt had finished in third place, meaning they did not get a chance to skate the iconic Bolero.
Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby returned to host the glam final (Picture: Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock)This weekend’s finale comes after a turbulent series of Dancing On Ice, from shock eliminations to online backlash and many injuries.
Things got off to a bad start before the show was even officially on air, as Paralympic cyclist Dame Sarah Storey had to pull out just weeks before the first episode.
Chelsee Healey and Ferne McCann then became the first two eliminated celebrities, enraging viewers and accusing the show of misogyny.
Voters were equally angry that the bottom two couples weren’t given a chance to save themselves, as the famous skate-off was initially axed.
For the first few weeks, the contestant with the lowest combined total votes and points from the judges’ scores was sent packing immediately, meaning they were unable to fight for their place with a second performance.
Other controversial eliminations included those of Love Island’s Chris Taylor and semi-finalist Dan Edgar, who were branded the ‘best skaters’ by those watching at home.
The ITV skating show’s future is now uncertain (Picture: Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock)Meanwhile, comedian Josh Jones was forced to withdraw after just one routine after sustaining an injury.
Pro skaters Vanessa Bauer and Eric Radford also had to be replaced after hurting themselves while training.
The future of Dancing On Ice is now uncertain, with recent reports claiming ITV is struggling to ‘justify’ keeping it on air as ratings plummet.
The launch episode of the 2025 series drew an average of 2.9million viewers, a disappointing drop from last year’s 3.6million.
A source told The Mirror: ‘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.
Comment nowDo you think the right person won Dancing On Ice?Comment Now‘We need bums on seats, but the ratings have dropped to a point where it’s difficult to justify the cost.’
At the time, an ITV spokesperson responded to Metro: ‘The Dancing On Ice team is fully concentrating on the much-anticipated series finale this coming Sunday and therefore no decision has been made.’
Dancing On Ice first aired in 2006, hosted by Holly and ex-ITV star Phillip Schofield.
The programme ended in 2014 before ITV revived it in 2018. At this time, Olympic champs Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean assumed new roles as head judges.
Jayne and Chris are now due to wrap up their time skating together when their tour finishes in May.
Catch up with Dancing On Ice on ITVX.
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