Dancing on Ice News: ITV Axes Show for 2026, Lowest Ratings

For nearly two decades, Dancing on Ice was a fixture of British Saturday nights—skating celebrities through their pirouettes while hosts bantered from the ice. ITV dropped a bombshell in March 2025, announcing the show would be “rested” in 2026 with no immediate plans for another series. The finale had pulled just 2.7 million viewers a few weeks earlier, the lowest in the show’s history since it first launched in 2006. Fans quickly pointed out that ITV’s careful word choice left the door technically open—but also very much ajar.

Current Status: Rested in 2026 · Announced By: ITV · Previous Series: 2025 · Last Winner: Sam Aston

The table below consolidates key factual details about Dancing on Ice’s history and current status.

Why is Dancing on Ice being axed?

ITV announced in March 2025 that Dancing on Ice would be rested in 2026, using deliberately careful language to signal the move without formally cancelling the format. An ITV spokesperson confirmed “no current plans for another series,” but stopped short of declaring the show permanently dead (Digital Spy). The timing came just weeks after the 2025 finale drew 2.7 million viewers—a figure that represented the lowest ever viewing figures in the show’s history (Extra.ie).

ITV Confirmation Details

The broadcaster’s official statement thanked “all of the cast and crew who have worked on the show since 2006” while announcing the rest period (Extra.ie). ITV framed the decision as following “another successful series earlier this year”—language some analysts read as face-saving given the viewership decline documented across the 2025 season (Rayo).

Reasons Cited

Declining viewership sits at the center of most analyses, though ITV has not detailed other contributing factors. Entertainment Daily noted the 2025 finale “represented a significant decline in viewership compared to previous seasons” (Entertainment Daily). The show originally began in 2006, ran annually until 2014, then returned in 2017—giving ITV nearly two decades of production data to weigh against the format’s current performance.

What this means: the decision prioritises programming flexibility over loyalty to an established brand, leaving the door cracked for potential revival if market conditions shift.

What are the allegations against Stephen Mulhern?

Search interest in Stephen Mulhern has spiked alongside the Dancing on Ice cancellation, but available sources do not confirm Mulhern held a primary hosting role on the show. The research notes flag “inappropriate jokes backlash” as a concern area, though direct connections to Dancing on Ice remain unclear from verified sources.

Inappropriate Jokes Backlash

Mulhern has faced public scrutiny over comments made in professional settings, with complaints about tone and appropriateness cited in community discussions. Research notes reference these allegations as a notable development in entertainment circles, but the exact context tied to Dancing on Ice specifically requires further verification from primary sources.

Dancing on Ice Context

Holly Willoughby anchored the 2025 hosting lineup (Rayo), and Mulhern’s official involvement in the 2025 series is not confirmed in available coverage. Whether future revivals—should ITV revive the format—would include Mulhern remains an open question with no sourced answer.

The pattern: Mulhern’s media visibility has not translated into confirmed participation in Dancing on Ice’s current iteration, making any allegations against him in that specific context unverified.

Who is Anton Ferdinand’s mother on Dancing on Ice?

Anton Ferdinand competed in the 2025 series of Dancing on Ice, drawing attention not just for his ice-skating but for personal circumstances he discussed during the run. Entertainment Daily confirmed his participation in coverage of the axed season (Entertainment Daily), though detailed accounts of his mother’s connection to the show require sourcing beyond what verified facts currently provide.

Family Ties

The content plan flagged questions about whether Anton Ferdinand’s mother is Irish and how he relates to footballer Rio Ferdinand. Anton Ferdinand is Rio Ferdinand’s younger brother—a connection well-documented in sports coverage. The pair share family background that has been reported across football and entertainment media.

Show Relevance

Anton’s participation added a celebrity dimension to the 2025 lineup alongside Michaela, another contestant confirmed in Entertainment Daily’s coverage. The show’s cancellation means his skating journey ended before any potential future series—though the back catalog on ITVX preserves his performances for viewers who want to rewatch.

The implication: Anton’s participation brought crossover appeal from sports audiences, a demographic Dancing on Ice may struggle to recapture without a similar high-profile contestant in any revival.

Will Dancing on Ice be back in 2026?

ITV’s official position, stated plainly in March 2025, is that there are “no current plans for another series” (Digital Spy). The distinction between “rested” and “cancelled” is deliberate: ITV retains intellectual property rights to the format, which prevents rival broadcasters from picking it up.

ITV Statements

The broadcaster’s spokesperson said the show would “be rested in 2026” following an earlier statement thanking cast and crew for nearly twenty years of work.

Fans immediately pointed out the obvious on social media—Extra.ie captured one response reading, “Is this new TV speak??? ‘The show is being rested with no plans for future series’ – I think lads that’s called ‘cancelled’” (Extra.ie).

Future Plans

ITV has precedent for bringing Dancing on Ice back. The show rested from 2014 through 2019 before returning for a revived run in 2017. That history means the broadcaster has demonstrated willingness to revive dormant formats when conditions align. However, the 2025 viewership decline adds pressure: a future return would need to demonstrate audience recovery, or face a similar fate.

Following another successful series earlier this year, Dancing on Ice will be rested in 2026 with no current plans for another series.

— ITV spokesperson, via Digital Spy For more on the show’s future, you can read about the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20 elimination here: Пакистан проти Шрі-Ланки T20 вибуття

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.

— ITV spokesperson, via Extra.ie

What this means: social media reaction suggests audiences see through the euphemism, but the legal distinction matters for ITV’s future programming options.

How is Anton Ferdinand related to Rio Ferdinand?

Anton Ferdinand and Rio Ferdinand are brothers—Anton is the younger sibling in a footballing family that produced two Premier League defenders. Rio Ferdinand built a celebrated career at Manchester United, Leeds United, and the England national team, while Anton Ferdinand made his own mark primarily at West Ham United and later clubs. The sibling connection brought sports fans to Dancing on Ice coverage as Anton skated through the 2025 season.

Family Connection Details

Both brothers have navigated public attention across different domains—Rio in football, Anton increasingly in media and entertainment. The content plan flagged an additional question about whether “Rio Ferdinand’s mum is Irish,” reflecting audience curiosity about the family’s background. The confirmed research notes do not specify nationality details, though the Ferdinand family is broadly documented in UK sports media.

Show Relevance

Anton’s participation in Dancing on Ice gave the show a celebrity crossover appeal—bringing viewers who followed his football career or media appearances. The cancellation, coming after his season, means that connection ends at least temporarily. Whether a future revival would attract Anton or other athletes from similar backgrounds remains speculative.

The implication: celebrity contestants like Anton bridge demographics, and losing that draw may sharpen the challenge of any revival attempt.

What the cancellation means for ITV and viewers

ITV’s choice to “rest” rather than cancel carries strategic weight. By retaining format rights, the broadcaster keeps the option to revive Dancing on Ice without legal complications—a door that “cancelled” would shut permanently. Fans who flooded social media with the obvious rebuttal (“that’s just cancelled with extra steps”) read the situation accurately from an emotional standpoint, even if the legal distinction matters to ITV’s programming strategy.

The 2025 viewership of 2.7 million deserves context: Dancing on Ice at its lowest still outperformed many primetime competitors. The decline that worried ITV executives reflects shifting viewing habits and a crowded entertainment market, not necessarily a format that failed audiences. Whether the show deserves another chance—and whether ITV will take that risk—remains the central question hanging over this decision.

What this means: ITV signals it values format ownership over audience sentiment, betting that the show’s brand equity justifies keeping the option open while pursuing fresher alternatives.

Related reading: Dancing with the Stars season 34

The 2025 series concluded with Sam Astons championship win on 9 March amid a dismal 2.7 million viewer low, sealing ITV’s decision to rest Dancing on Ice in 2026.