Dancing on Ice has announced that co-presenter Holly Willoughby will be absent from tonight's (March 13) semi-final due to a positive coronavirus test, with Phillip Schofield hosting the show solo instead.
In a short statement, a spokesperson for the reality series confirmed that Willoughby is set to return for the finale though, should she be well enough: "Unfortunately, Holly Willoughby is unable to host tonight's show after testing positive for COVID-19. We look forward to Holly returning for the Dancing on Ice live final."
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Following last Sunday's (March 6) elimination during Torvill and Dean week, in which the celebrities took inspiration from the iconic routines of the skating legends, 5 couples remain to compete in this week's semi-final: Olympian Kye Whyte and his partner Tippy Packard, former Strictly Come Dancing professional Brendan Cole and Vanessa Bauer, Regan Gascoigne and Karina Manta, Pussycat Dolls singer Kimberly Wyatt and Mark Hanretty, as well as The Vamps' Connor Ball and Alexandra Schauman.
As for what we can expect from this week's routines, there's sure to be a close competition as three of the couples achieved a perfect score of 40 last week, with Kimberley Wyatt also marking an historic moment – the first upside-down inverted split in Dancing on Ice history. Tonight will also feature a double elimination ahead of the finale next week.
Meanwhile, skating legends and show judges Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean recently downplayed fix claims around the show, insisting that viewers have a big say in who stays – especially if someone with "entertainment value" has a big fanbase.
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"There's a sort of fascination for entertainment factor characters like Bez, who every show has, and it's just about how long they sustain," Torvill said. "Eventually the audience decides, don't they, how long it's going to last.
"Bez did really well, he wanted to do his best and there was a lot of production and a lot of entertainment value. I think we can enjoy that at home on a wet, windy Sunday evening."
Dean reiterated the sentiment that ultimately it is down to the audiences who stays in the competition: "We're just judging what we see, but the majority of the time, it's the viewers at home that are voting to keep people in."
Dancing on Ice airs on Sundays at 6pm on ITV.
![Torvill & Dean [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1619694445-51AUVZbujL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Torvill & Dean [DVD]")
Michael Joseph Life's What You Make It by Phillip Schofield
Simon & Schuster UK Our Life on Ice by Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
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