Alongside the impressive (and unimpressive) routines performed on Dancing on Ice by celebrities, the injuries suffered over the years have made up some of the most scene-stealing moments on the ITV show.
The skating competition has become notorious for its serious mishaps which have often occurred during rehearsals as the famous contestants — often having no experience before taking part in the series — learnt the tricky skill of skating on thin ice.
Figuratively, that’s exactly what they did whenever they practised new moves or jumps as, from time to time, they found themselves, or their professional partner, wounded in the process.
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As the series returns with more celebrities at risk of being battered and bruised on the ice rink, including Love Island's Liberty Poole, Kimberly Wyatt and Brendan Cole, here’s a look back at some of the worst injuries to hit the skating show in its 16-year run:
Anthony Cotton’s rib fracture
Coronation Street’s Anthony Cotton crushed his ribs whilst competing in the 2018 series of Dancing on Ice after landing on his back from a fall during rehearsals.
A move went badly wrong with dance partner Brandee Malto causing the pair to crash to the floor, leaving Anthony in agony and terrified as he couldn’t breathe.
“We lost our balance and both fell backwards onto the ice," Antony said.
He added: "Luckily, Brandee was uninjured but I was taken to hospital where I discovered I had fractured a couple of ribs, front and back.”
Despite his wounded diagnosis, the actor bravely returned to the competition and joked that hopefully “painkillers and sequins will see [him] through.”
Jennifer Ellison’s scalp slice
The most gruesome injury to be recorded live on the skating show, happened when actress Jennifer Ellison managed to slice her own scalp with the back of her ice-skating boot during a routine.
In 2012, the former Brookside star performed a daring scorpion kick move which saw her arch her back and kick one of her legs too high behind her, hitting her scalp.
The sharp contact caused Jennifer’s head to pour with blood as paramedics urgently tended to her after she managed to complete her routine.
"Her whole hair was just red because obviously the heart's pumping and a lot of blood's come out. But she's in great hands,” reassured her pro skater partner Dan Whiston after the horrifying accident.
Joe Swash’s strange ear blunder
Joe Swash experienced perhaps the most peculiar wound on the series in 2020, after his ear collided with an ice skate during training, sending him immediately to hospital to have it drained of infected fluid.
The comic presenter didn’t find the situation so funny after being left with “cauliflower ear” and had to wear a large bandage over his head a week before the final, which he impressively still won despite his mishap.
"I've knocked the ear and it's like a cauliflower ear, it just got swollen and they had to drain it and cut it a little bit," Joe explained as his professional partner Alex Murphy added that he’d “never had that injury happen” before.
Denise Van Outen’s fractured shoulder
Denise Van Outen had the first week contestants dread in last year’s series of Dancing on Ice, as she suffered an incredibly painful injury that she recently mentioned she is still recovering from.
It turned out Denise had fractured and partially dislocated her shoulder in three places and spent the remainder of her time on the show wearing a sling, bravely churning out one performance before she was instructed by doctors to exit the show early.
"Unfortunately, after the rehearsal I spent 15 hours with my shoulder being dislocated because we didn’t really want to bother the NHS knowing that they’re so overstretched," she later spoke on Loose Women.
She added: "It wasn't until the pain was so unbearable that they advised that I went in to see them and then they put my shoulder back in, but then it popped out again and then I skated on it in the most excruciating pain, I cannot tell you.”
Yebin Mok is stabbed in the leg
Another horrifically graphic injury that took place on the show occurred when professional skater Yebin Mok was stabbed in the leg so deep, host Phillip Schofield claimed you could “see the tendons".
The skater was wounded during her training with celebrity Graham Bell and had to depart from the show in the first week as a result, however was able to return a few weeks later to perform to the delight of viewers.
"I fell when we were training on Monday and Yebin fell onto the back of my skate,” Graham later explained.
“She was cut quite badly on the shin and needed an operation to clean and stitch up the wound. Luckily there was no nerve or tendon damage."
Beth Tweddle smashed her head
Former Olympian gymnast Beth Tweddle’s athletic skills weren’t on her side when she participated in the 2013 series and attempted to perform difficult move, the Whirlybird.
As she was spun around by professional skater Dan Whiston, Beth lost her grip with her partner and smashed her head against the ice in a nasty fall that worried fellow contestants, judges and crew that were close by.
She shockingly insisted she was “fine” after the accident, just dizzy, as she returned to the rink and went on to win the show in an incredible turn of events.
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