Entertainment

Latest celebrity leaves Dancing On Ice in semi-final

The celebrities skated twice during the show for the first time this series.
The celebrities skated twice during the show for the first time this series.

Ben Hanlin is the latest celebrity to be eliminated from Dancing On Ice ahead of next week’s final.

He and professional partner Carlotta Edwards lost a skate-off against Paralympian Libby Clegg and Mark Hanretty, after the celebrities took to the ice twice for the semi-final on Sunday.

Although judge John Barrowman chose to save the magician, Christopher Dean cast the deciding vote as head judge and put Clegg through to next week.

During the skate-off, professional Edwards appeared to stumble as the pair performed to Tom Walker’s song Leave a Light On.

After stepping off the ice, she was comforted by Hanlin as she told hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: “I slipped.”

His departure means that Clegg, Diversity’s Perri Kiely and TV presenter Joe Swash have all made it to next week’s grand final.

Hanlin and skating partner Edwards were at the bottom of the leaderboard ahead of the skate-off, with a score of 74.5.

Paying tribute to his partner after he was eliminated, Hanlin said: “She’s been amazing. I’m going to miss skating with you every day.”

Edwards told hosts Willoughby and Schofield dancing with the magician had been the “highlight of my career”.

Earlier in the programme, Hanlin revealed he had received a gash to his arm from his partner’s skate during training.

Ben Hanlin (Ian West/PA)
The magician was the latest celebrity to be eliminated (Ian West/PA)

The magician opened the show with a solo skate to Ain’t That A Kick In The Head by Dean Martin, which scored 37.5.

In a tribute to his wife, Hanlin chose Jake Bugg’s song Lightning Bolt for his second performance of the night.

Meanwhile, Kiely and partner Vanessa Bauer received a perfect score of 40 and a standing ovation after they skated to the music from Romeo & Juliet’s balcony scene.

He revealed it was a nod to Diversity, who perform to the music at the end of their live shows.

Fellow member of the dance troupe and judge Ashley Banjo appeared to become emotional after awarding them a 10, telling Kiely: “Seeing you become the man you’ve become, I’m so proud bro.”

The couple topped the leaderboard with a score of 78.5, as their superhero-themed performance earlier in the night gained them 38.5 points.

The Shakespearean tribute was not the only emotional performance of the semi-final, after Swash picked a song that was played at his father’s funeral.

He and professional partner Alex Murphy received a score of 38 for the rendition to Simply Red’s Stars.

Swash, who was 12 when his dad died, said: “It’s hard, a hard thing. I miss my dad every day, (there’s) so much I’d love to show him.

“So many things I’ve done and experienced that I could have shared with him.”

Swash received a special message from frontman Mick Hucknall following the performance.

He netted the same score of 38 in his first performance to Rod Stewart’s Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? – placing him in third place on Sunday, with a grand total of 76.

Clegg received her first 10s of the series when she and professional partner Mark Hanretty skated to George Ezra’s Paradise.

Jayne Torvill and Dean both gave the couple a 10, while Banjo and Barrowman gave them a score of 9.5.

On her second skate of the night, Clegg received a 10 from Barrowman for a performance to Sleeping At Last’s cover of I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).

In an interview clip ahead of the performance, Clegg opened up about how she had struggled with her mental health.

She explained feeling “empty and numb and didn’t have a purpose anymore”, adding: “I never thought I would have mental health issues, it just shows it can happen to anybody.”

Clegg was second on the leaderboard ahead of the skate-off, with a score of 77.5.

Dancing On Ice continues on ITV at 6pm on Sunday.