Dancing On Ice ‘makes HUGE change to format in bid to avoid upsetting competing celebrities’

Dancing On Ice has changed the structure of the show in a huge shake-up designed ‘to avoid upsetting the celebrities’.

ITV bosses are said to have changed the dance-off as the stars will no longer have to skate a new performance if they find themselves in the bottom two, according to T.he sun.

Normally, the celebrities not only had to learn a routine for their weekly performance, but also put together a dance, for which they were voted in the bottom two.

Now it is believed the stars will simply have to relearn what they did for the main competition, as duty of care is said to be ‘of paramount importance’ to ITV bosses.

A source told the publication: ‘On Dancing on Ice in the past, all couples had to prepare a special skate-off dance that would be ready in case they were voted into the bottom two.

‘But that meant that in addition to learning their main routine, the couples had to learn all the group dances – and sometimes more – in most cases a dance that was lost.

‘Bosses have reconsidered the plan going forward and couples in the bottom two will now be asked to simply repeat the same dance they performed on the main show.’

MailOnline contacted ITV representatives for a comment.

The news comes after it was revealed that the show has introduced a 24-hour hotline for stars to voice their concerns, following the Strictly Come Dancing bullying scandal.

The ITV show is set to return to screens in 2025 and sources have now revealed new measures introduced in a bid to prevent bullying or abuse.

According to The sunITV bosses have sent the celebrity line-up a six-page letter telling them they can speak out ‘without fear of abuse’.

In the same vein as the chaperones introduced for Strictly this year, this year’s celebrities will also be assigned a producer to ensure their ‘well-being’.

A source said: ‘ITV puts the wellbeing of show participants at the heart of what they do. No one needs another Strictly – and Dancing on Ice bosses want their stars to feel they can speak out if something isn’t right.

‘They will have access to a 24-hour hotline staffed by professionals to raise concerns about bullying or get help with their mental health.

“They also received a letter telling them what to expect from the show and how to behave.”

The letter, obtained by the publication, reportedly warns stars that participating in the show could leave them “physically and mentally exhausted.”

It also warns stars about behavior towards their professional skating partners, adding: ‘Winning should never come at the expense of integrity and respect.’

MailOnline has contacted Dancing On Ice representatives for comment.

These measures come after Dancing On Ice’s BBC rival Strictly’s landmark 20th year was marred by scandal – after actress Amanda Abbington unexpectedly left the show last October before claiming her partner Giovanni Pernice abused her. He was later acquitted of ten of her sixteen charges.

The show was then hit by a new wave of scandal when Graziano Di Prima was sacked in July for ‘kicking’ his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.

Earlier this year, former Dancing On Ice contestant Michael Barrymore accused ITV producers of ‘abuse’.

The former TV star, 72, lashed out in a blistering social media post today – prompting a response from ITV, which dismissed his ‘baseless’ claims as the broadcaster insisted the welfare of the show’s stars are his was ‘top priority’.

Barrymore wrote on Even I witnessed abuse from producers at @ITV and had a very short stint with them…’

But ITV hit back and insisted its stars were looked after while on the programme.

In response to Barrymore’s comments, an ITV spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We do not acknowledge these unsubstantiated claims.

‘Michael was unable to participate in the Dancing on Ice live shows due to an injury sustained during training.

‘This training takes place at public rinks, where skating marshals or rink guards are present, or at the show’s film studio in Bovingdon, under the supervision of the production crew.

‘In addition, there are often independent skating coaches present who supervise training. We have always been very transparent about our wellbeing processes and are fully committed to supporting cast and crew throughout our production. This is always the highest priority.’

Speaking to This Morning after leaving the show, Barrymore claimed he was ‘loving every second’ of his time on Dancing on Ice.

With a plaster cast on his wrist, he told former presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby – who also hosted the popular skating show: “It was a great experience.”

This year’s Dancing On Ice will feature TOWIE star Ferne McCann, The Traitors’ Mollie Pearce, Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave, Coronation Street star Sam Aston, EastEnders’ Charlie Brooks and comedian Josh Jones.

They are joined by former footballer Anton Ferdinand, Hollyoaks’ Chelsee Healey, TOWIE star Dan Edgar, Love Island’s Chris Taylor, presenter Michaela Strachan and Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey.