Entertainment

Another celebrity leaves Dancing On Ice ahead of the semi-final

Libby Clegg survived the skate-off, meaning she will be in the show’s semi-final.
Libby Clegg survived the skate-off, meaning she will be in the show’s semi-final. Libby Clegg survived the skate-off, meaning she will be in the show’s semi-final.

Lisa George is the latest celebrity to be eliminated from Dancing On Ice.

The Coronation Street actress and her skating partner Tom Naylor missed reaching the semi-final stage of the competition after losing a skate-off against Paralympian Libby Clegg and Mark Hanretty during the programme’s movie-themed week.

George, who plays Beth Tinker in the soap, said: “I’m made up that I got this far to be honest.

“I’ve had the best time ever, I’ve met the most beautiful people, and thank you for Tom.”

George’s exit from the ITV show came after she suffered an injury earlier in the week.

She fell on the ice during training and hurt her knee, meaning she was only able to start training for her main routine and a group routine from Thursday.

Pro skater Naylor praised her as they were booted from the show, telling hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield: “The effort she puts in, and we only got to train from Thursday, so to come in from Thursday and put those routines together, she’s amazing.”

George and Naylor had performed a routine embodying Bridget Jones’s Diary, skating to Have You Met Miss Jones? by Robbie Williams.

They were placed bottom of the leaderboard by the judges, receiving 31.5 out of 40.

Head judge Jayne Torvill said that “it was a great performance, but I wish we could see more difficulty from you because I know it is there”.

The couple had come last in a group routine with their competitors, meaning they were awarded one extra point out of a possible five.

It was the first time in the series that all of the couples had to dance together, and they performed to Footloose, keeping in with the movie week theme.

Diversity dancer Perri Kiely and his partner Vanessa Bauer came in first place in the group routine, and were also first place on the leaderboard overall, finishing with a total of 44.5 points.

They had been given 39.5 points – their highest of the series so far – for their skate to the theme from Harry Potter.

Magician Ben Hanlin and Carlotta Edwards were second on the leaderboard, having won 37 points for their Titanic-themed routine and another four after coming second in the group dance.

Paralympian Clegg, who has sight loss, and Hanretty were placed third on the leaderboard.

They had performed a Jungle Book-themed dance to Bare Necessities that saw her pull off a tricky move where her ice skate-clad feet were placed around his neck as they spun on the ice.

They were awarded 35.5 points – their highest so far – for that dance, and another three as they came third in the group performance.

TV presenter Joe Swash and his partner Alex Murphy were fourth on the leaderboard.

Having performed a routine to Live And Let Die as James Bond, he and Murphy were given 34 points, as well as an additional two for coming fourth place in the group routine.

Kiely, Swash, Clegg and Hanlin have made it into next week’s semi-final.

The episode also saw the return of professional skater Hamish Gaman, who had taken a step back after his former partner Caprice Bourret quit the show.

Ahead of the live show, he had tweeted: “Hi everyone. I’m excited to be returning to @dancingonice tonight. Thank you to everyone who reached out to me when I was really struggling.

“To my friends in this photo, your support and kindness means more than you’ll ever know.”

Gaman took part in a routine with his fellow professional skaters.

Welsh actor Luke Evans also made an appearance on the show as the musical guest, singing a cover of Maria McKee’s Show Me Heaven.

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