‘Dancing on Ice’ is said to be facing the axe as its ratings continue to plummet.

‘Dancing on Ice’ is said to be facing the axe as its ratings continue to plummet

‘Dancing on Ice’ is said to be facing the axe as its ratings continue to plummet

The ITV series, presented by Holly Willoughby, 43, and Stephen Mulhern, 46, had its smallest ever audience on 28 January, with 2.9 million people tuning in – a fraction of the 12 million viewers watching during the programme’s heyday.

As well as the poor viewing figures, judges Jayne Torvill, 66, and Christopher Dean, 65, announced their planned retirement from the show earlier this month, with ITV reportedly now weighing up whether the next ‘DoI’ series could be the last.

A TV source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “‘Dancing on Ice’ faces an uncertain future.

“The ratings are low for a big weekend show and without Torvill and Dean putting in their performances, this could be the end of the show.”

‘DoI’ is also incredibly costly for ITV, with the network having to shell out for the 12 celebrity contestants as well as the professional skaters and hosts.

The source added to the Mirror: “It is an incredibly expensive show to make. It only works if it gets a big audience.”

However, a show spokesperson has insisted that the programme “remains a popular format”.

They said: “‘Dancing on Ice’ remains a popular format for us, having launched with 4.2 million viewers”.

The show recently saw former Olympic ski jumper Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards leave after judge Christopher Dean opted to send him home.

Previously, Eddie dismissed claims that his skiing experience would translate into skating skills.

He told MailOnline: "I’m a really, really bad skater at the moment. It’s a completely different sport.

"When I ski I automatically get myself into a certain stance. That stance is not a good stance for skating, which is why I keep falling on my face, because I’m used to arching my back and going forwards.”

Despite this, Eddie insisted he only took party in the programme because he wanted to “have fun”.

He explained: "I used to be very competitive but, probably over the last 20 years, I’m just not competitive anymore - nowhere near like I used to be. I just go out and enjoy it and have fun doing things."

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