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Why isn't Dancing on Ice on tonight?

Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby won't be on our screens

dancing on ice final
Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
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Dancing on Ice fans will have to wait a full week to find out which skating star will be crowned the champion of this year's series as Sunday night's grand final has been postponed. 

MORE: Dancing on Ice finale postponed in major ITV schedule shake-up

ITV has confirmed that they are delaying the 2022 final due to a clash with the FA Cup quarter-final match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool. 

WATCH: Oti Mabuse fights back tears in emotional Dancing on Ice moment

The skating show, fronted by Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, has been shelved in favour of the channel's coverage of the football match, which is due to kick off at 5.15pm and run for at least three hours. 

Instead, the finale will air on Sunday 27 March in an extended episode. 

In the latest instalment of the skating programme, Olympic athlete Kye Whyte and Vamps singer Connor Ball were sent home in a dramatic double elimination after giving it their all in the skate-off along with Pussycat Dolls star Kimberley Wyatt.

MORE: Dancing on Ice's Connor Ball breaks silence following exit as show is hit with 'fix' claims

MORE: Dancing on Ice star Christopher Dean's family life in photos

While fans may have to wait a little longer for the epic finale, the show's week-long delay will give Holly enough time to recover from coronavirus, having tested positive last week. 

holly and phil doi© Photo: Rex

The live final has been postponed by a week

It was announced on Sunday 13 March that Holly had contracted the virus and was forced to pull out of the live show, leaving Phillip to front the programme on his own. 

Addressing the absence of his presenting partner via Instagram, Phillip shared a photo of the pair alongside a sweet message: "Gutted that my mate won't be with me on @dancingonice tonight."

He added: "Get well soon darlin," followed by a love-heart emoji.

The broadcaster then shared a video from backstage, showing his name on a marker on the studio floor, before zooming in on Holly's and panning to an empty spot next to him.

holly and phil insta© Photo: Instagram

Holly was forced to pull out of last week's show

Following Holly's absence from the show, fans took to Twitter to complain, pointing out that when Phillip was isolating with Covid back in February, he was replaced by Stephen Mulhern. 

A spokesperson from ITV soon explained that the show didn't have enough time to find a replacement for Holly: "It's because it was too short notice which wasn't the case when Phillip was unable to host the show."

The Dancing on Ice live final airs on Sunday 27 March at 7pm on ITV. 

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