Dancing On Ice viewers rage real winner was ‘robbed’ as 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.
Speaking to hosts Holly and Stephen just after the announcement, actor Sam said: ‘I’ve literally got no words!’
Corrie’s Sam Aston was lost for words when he was declared this year’s champion (Picture: Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock)Just moments before, the soap star reflected that it had been ‘such a journey’ for himself and his professional partner.
He said: ‘It’s just been such a journey and a mad one. And was always Molly’s dream to be on this show since watching it as a young girl.
‘It has [gone quick] but then you see some of the older clips, and it feels like forever ago, I dunno!’
Meanwhile, Springwatch presenter Michaela said after finding out she was runner-up: ‘It’s been an amazing journey, and I feel that I’m a winner to get this far with Mark. I’ve done it for the older women!’
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.
Reflecting on the experience, Anton said: ‘When you retire from football–I retired six years ago, and I lost a part of me–but… the team behind (the show) have made me start to feel like myself again.’
He follows in Ryan Thomas’s footsteps by lifting the trophy with pro partner Molly Lanaghan (Picture: Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock)Sam now follows in the skating footsteps of fellow Corrie alum Ryan Thomas, the 2024 winner.
Reacting to the result, viewers on X had mixed feelings. User shiningalight said it was a ‘very well deserved win’ for Sam, while xxncisaddictxx believes Sam’s Bolero ‘cemented’ the win for him.
However, plenty of viewers were outraged at the result, declaring that Michaela and Mark were ‘robbed’.
HausOfDylan95 branded the outcome ‘predictable’ and goldaIchemy claimed the show ‘has a misogyny problem’.
Despite Michaela coming within touching distance of the trophy, she joins a long list of female contestants who fell at the final hurdle.
A woman has not won Dancing On Ice since 2013 when gymnast Beth Tweddle and her partner Daniel Whiston were crowned winners.
Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby returned to host the glam final (Picture: Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock)Echoing the sentiments of many, RyanTheSoapking added on X: ‘Starting to think that #DancingOnIce is sexist – 13 years since their last female winner and Michaela was right there. The oldest and certainly one of the strongest skaters this show has ever seen’.
BRATTYBARBl called Dancing On Ice a ‘joke’ and urged for it to be ‘axed’, while abbygsx penned: ‘dancing on ice not having a female winner since it’s reboot is actually ridiculous’.
Sam’s win and this weekend’s finale come 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.
The ITV skating show’s future is now uncertain (Picture: Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock)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.
Meanwhile, comedian Josh Jones was forced to withdraw after just one routine after sustaining an injury.
Comment nowDo you think the right person won Dancing On Ice?Comment NowPro 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.
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean performed their last-ever TV skate this weekend (Picture: Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock)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.
‘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.’
As the series came to an end this Sunday, viewers were still confused about whether to expect Dancing On Ice back. All they got was a ‘see you next time’ from presenter Holly, suggesting there could well be hope for more.
Anton Ferdinand and Anette Dytrt finished third (Picture: Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock) Many fans of the show believe Michaela Strachan was ‘robbed’ of the win (Picture: Kieron McCarron/ITV/Shutterstock)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.
Tonight, they skated for the final time on TV together, joined by a host of Dancing On Ice pros wearing their iconic purple outfits.
The pair, who won gold at the 1984 Winter Games following their routine to Ravel’s Bolero, executed some impressive moves before the audience stood on their feet to applaud.
Introducing the number ahead of the legendary duo’s official retirement, Holly said: ‘Tonight, they’re taking to the ice together for their last-ever TV performance.’
Catch up with Dancing On Ice on ITVX.
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