Arlene Phillips set to replace John Barrowman on Dancing on Ice

5 October 2021, 08:15 | Updated: 5 October 2021, 08:21

By Heart

@thisisheart

With John Barrowman no longer appearing on Dancing On Ice, there are reports Arlene Phillips will replace him.

It has been reported that Arlene Phillips will join the Dancing on Ice judging panel in the place of John Barrowman.

According to The Sun, the 78-year-old is in talks with ITV about joining the reality show after her stint on Strictly Come Dancing ended back in 2009.

An insider told the publication: “The fact that Arlene is a mature woman with decades of experience in the dance world is seen as a huge asset for Dancing on Ice.

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"In contrast to what people see as her harsh treatment by Strictly, ITV bosses see her seniority as a brilliant way to create a diverse panel of experts on the show.

“It means the DOI judges are now made of two men and two women spanning an extensive age range.”

This comes after Arlene was made a dame in the Queen’s birthday honours this year thanks to her contribution to dance and charity work.

She was a judge on Strictly for five years after joining the debut line up in 2004 alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli.

Arlene was then replaced by singer Alesha Dixon which caused controversy at the time, with many people claiming it was to do with her age. The BBC has always denied this.

However, she has continued to work in dance and choreographed many stage shows, recently saying: “I haven’t even thought about slowing down.

“I feel so completely accepted that my age doesn’t stand before me.”

This comes after it was revealed John Barrowman will no longer appear as a judge on Dancing On Ice.

The 54-year-old has starred on the ITV skating show since 2019 and ITV has thanked him for ‘two brilliant years’ on the show.

They said in a statement: "We thank John Barrowman for two brilliant years on the Dancing On Ice panel and are pleased to be working with him again as host of the forthcoming All Star Musicals specials."

Earlier this year, John apologised amid claims that he'd exposed himself to colleagues on the sets of other shows.

He went on to tell the Guardian that his behaviour was "only ever intended in good humour to entertain colleagues on set and backstage".