Dancing On Ice: Rebekah Vardy does the SPLITS as she wows the judges in dance week

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Rebekah Vardy impressed the judges with a very energetic cancan routine during Sunday’s Dancing On Ice before newcomer Matt Richardson was voted off on his debut. 

The WAG, 38, was sure to set standards high as she dominated the rink alongside pro partner Andy Buchanan and ended her performance by doing the splits, scoring the duo an impressive 30 our of 40 points.

However the dance spectacular episode came amid claims of ‘favouritism’ on the show, with some of the cast reportedly feeling Colin Jackson, Faye Brookes and Jason Donovan have been shown ‘special treatment’.

Rebekah and Andy commanded attention during week four, showcasing the WAG’s ever-improving skating skills to land in the top half of the leaderboard and make it through to next week’s Valentine’s special. 

Receiving feedback from the judges, John Barrowman said: ‘I loved it, kicks and splits and two single toe-loops which weren’t perfect but you’re trying!’

Jayne Torvill then added: ‘I loved that you were in character and loved the whole thing, keep up the improvement you’ll go along way’

And Ashley Banjo was also impressed with Becky’s skating, telling her: ‘You captured the spirit, the feel of dance week – I think you did a great job and have been the most successful so far!’

Christopher Dean was in agreement too, giving the couple a huge eight points, and saying: ‘I thought you were marvellous, attacking the steps, had that energy and you were performing it! You were in character, playing with Andy and having fun.. brought together on the ice was a complete performance’

However the show comes amid claims of favouritism on the show, with some cast members reportedly feeling that Colin Jackson, Faye Brookes and Jason Donovan have been given less of a challenge in the routines picked for them.

Ex-Corrie star Faye skated to ballet Swan Lake on Sunday’s show, however she’s thought to have had ballet lessons as a child.

While Colin and his pro partner Klabera Komini performed a samba, which he was also taught on Strictly Come Dancing.

And Jason also had past experience with his dance on Sunday – the tango – through his past stint on Strictly having danced it three times and even scored a perfect 40.

A show source told The Sun: ‘It’s not gone unnoticed by some of the celebrities and their partners and people have been discussing whether they’ve been given favourable treatment.

‘Skating is a hard thing to learn, but nailing a performance is made much easier if you’ve had a load of prior training in advance.’

MailOnline has contacted Dancing On Ice for a comment.    

Elsewhere in Sunday’s show Matt Richardson made his debut on the ice after stepping in to fill Rufus’ Hound’s spot in the competition.

Rufus and Matt shared a FaceTime ahead of the show, with Rufus cheekily giving him the advice of ‘just be really good’ ahead of the big night.  

Speaking after the skate, Matt was asked how he feels by host Holly Willoughby. He replied: ‘Feel? I’ve got a dry mouth, I’m sweaty I’m snotty don’t know if I’m coming or going to be honest!

‘The last four days have been the most terrifying ever, but look what I did! And a five from Dean after he broke my face, come on!

Although it being his first week, the judges weren’t overly impressed with Chris giving him a dreary five points which sparked some boos in the studio. 

Laughing as he gave feedback, Chris replied: ‘You did that to your own face to be fair? Come in most difficult situation, and have change routine last moment.. it’s a tall ask. But there was lots of two footed skating.’

John added: ‘It was a valiant effort, you did a really nice job. I who have trained as a matador in Spain, thought some of your positions were fab. But you do need to work on your speed and get off the two skates.’

Jayne also agreed that although needing a bit of work, Matt’s opening was a ‘great first effort’.

And Ashley said: ‘I’m no olympian, but five seems a little tough! For your first show, I thought you did great… and you’ve got a great partner in Vicky.’

However it was John’s revelation that he’s trained as a matador which really ticked Philip Schofield, with the presenter joking ‘well, there you go!’ to end the segment.

Joe-Warren Plant and Vanessa Bauer had kicked things off on Sunday with an energetic quickstep, showcasing a range of impressive moves as they elegantly skated around the rink.

Sonny Jay and his pro partner were also sure to catch the judges eye as they became the first couple to do overhead lifts.

Chris was particularly impressed, telling him that he noticed how ‘silent on the ice’ he was at the beginning of the routine which means he’s ‘got the blade just right’.

Jason Donovan also improved this week, adding more content to his performance, with Jayne telling him to keep it up as ‘you naturally can perform’. 

Elsewhere, Colin Jackson performed a samba which he admitted was ‘a lot of fun’ as he ‘loves the music’.

However Ashley said he’d liked to have seen him be a ‘bit looser’ for the dance but Chris and Jayne enjoyed the nods to original samba movements done in ice dancing.

Lady Leshurr was another standout, with the rapper shooting to the top of the leaderboard with 32.5 points after her skate.

John was so taken he gave the star the first ‘fabulous’ of the season, standing in his seat to declare: ‘F A B U L O U S!’

And Chris added: ‘I’m just looking for a kitchen sink, the only thing that wasn’t In there.! What you have you can’t teach, this expression and character… and Brendyn, you make her look great.’

Amy Tinkler and her pro partner Joe were treated to a special good luck message from H from Steps during the week as they prepped a fun routine to hit song 5, 6, 7, 8.

Turning the rink into a honky tonk, the duo showed off some line dancing steps as well as impressive choreography and lifts.

Despite this, John told them the ‘timing was off’ on their synchronised moves and Jayne said she’d like to ‘see more skating’ than dancing next time.

And on ween four, it was Faye Brooks who closed the show with a ballet-inspired performance.

Although wanting to impress the judges this week after being told she was holding back last week, Faye’s feedback still told her to push further and try out more dangerous moves.

Jayne said: ‘I loved it, but I agree with John [who wanted to see more risk] moving forward you’re capable of so much more and you need to take some risk now.’

And Ashley told them: ‘It somehow felt empty and I wanted more’.

Chris praised Faye for being ‘one of the best skaters we’ve seen’ however agreed with the rest of the ice panel saying she should ‘challenge herself more’.

Sunday’s show comes after a very dramatic week for the show which saw two contestants withdraw from the competition. 

Billie Faiers broke her silence ahead of the show after she was forced to withdraw from Dancing On Ice 2021 after suffering a fall during training on Friday.

The Mummy Diaries star, 31, took to Instagram on Sunday morning to upload a photo of herself with professional partner Mark Hanretty from their ‘first and last’ dance as she admitted she’s ‘so, so gutted’.

Media personality Billie has become the third contestant to pull out of the competition after Rufus Hound and Denise Van Outen’s departures, with host Phillip Schofield recently revealing that bosses have ran out of reserves.

The mother-of-two wrote: ‘Our first and last dance. I am so so sad that our @dancingonice journey has come to an end after an accident in rehearsals on Friday causing me a head injury, forcing us out of the competition.’

The businesswoman went on to praise dancer Mark, 35, for supporting her during her stint as she added: ‘@markhanretty A true friend for life, you have been the most incredible partner throughout all of this, I mean you taught me to skate for one.

‘Thank you for being so kind, supportive, patient, understanding, and thank you for being such a happy, positive person when I needed it the most.’

The former TOWIE star also explained how she used skating as a ‘distraction’ following her beloved grandmother’s death.

Billie shared: ‘It’s been a tough couple of weeks personally for me and coming back to skating this week has really been a great distraction. I am so so gutted we can’t perform tonight, we worked so so hard on this week’s routine.

‘However, although it has sadly been cut short , being part of @dancingonice has been the best experience, I have met some wonderful people and I actually feel quite proud of myself that I pushed myself so far out of my comfort zone and faced some of my biggest fears.

‘I’m going to miss being part of this incredible show so much. I wish all of the rest of cast so much luck and I will be cheering you all on every Sunday, you are all amazing !!! 

‘Thank you to everyone for your kind messages and support throughout all of this. It means so much to me and I am so grateful.’ (sic) 

An ITV spokesperson confirmed to MailOnline the former glamour model quit the show after suffering a concussion and will not be replaced for the remainder of the series.

According to The Mirror, the Essex native went to hospital for an MRI scan after being left unconscious following the accident. 

A representative said: ‘During rehearsals for this week’s show, Billie Shepherd has had a fall. 

‘Taking the expert advice of the Dancing On Ice medical team, she sadly cannot perform this weekend and will therefore now withdraw from the competition. We wish Billie well as she now takes the time to rest and recover.’ 

Billie had previously taken a week-long break from the show following the death of her nan Wendy.

A DOI spokesperson said at the time: ‘Sadly due to a family bereavement this week Billie Shepherd is taking a break from the ice and won’t be on Sunday’s show. We look forward to her returning next week and send her all of our love at this sad time.’  

During her short-lived Dancing On Ice stint, the TV star only performed once as her Spice Girls-themed skate earned a score of 25 points out of 40. 

Earlier in the week, presenter Phillip, 58, admitted TV executives have run out of stand-in stars for the first time in the show’s history.

The host said on This Morning: ‘It is very strict at the rink, which is how we’ve been able to keep the show on, but we are really sad that Rufus should go. We realised that is the first time ever we’ve used both of our reserves.’

Comedian Rufus took to social media on Wednesday evening to announce he has had to withdraw from the show after testing positive for Covid a second time.

His departure came after he had already missed two weeks of shows due to self-isolation – during which he tested positive with ‘a mild case’ of the disease.

Despite completing the government mandated quarantine time to recover from coronavirus, strict rules at ITV dictated he couldn’t return at all. 

Show bosses confirmed that Rufus and his professional partner Robin Johnstone were both axed from Dancing On Ice and will be replaced by Matt Richardson, 29, and his pro-skater partner Vicky Ogden this weekend.   

Breaking the news to his followers, Rufus tweeted: ‘I will no longer be participating Dancing On Ice. 

‘COVID is – as I’m sure we’re all well aware – a b**tard and sadly the world isn’t short of those.’ 

In a statement, ITV spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm that following a positive test result, Rufus Hound is unable to return to Dancing On Ice this weekend.

‘Although Rufus and his partner Robin’s time on the ice has been all too brief, they can be truly proud of their achievements. We thank them for all their hard work and commitment to the show.’

With the departure of Rufus and Robin, comedian Matt Richardson and his pro-skater partner Vicky Ogden will replace them on the line up from this weekend. 

It’s hoped that when the full cast reunite for the series’ final, Rufus will be able to be back in the studio with everyone. 

Ahead of his axe, Rufus had already missed two live shows of the competition after isolating because he came into contact with someone with Covid, before testing positive with a ‘mild case’ himself. 

The announcement of his departure from the show came after Dancing On Ice informed all the celebrity skaters and their professional partners that if they test positive for coronavirus they will immediately be axed from the ITV show.   

An ITV spokeswoman has explained to MailOnline: ‘We have stringent protocols to ensure the health and safety of all our contributors and staff which are routinely monitored and updated to reflect government guidelines.’

‘Following the guidance on isolation, a positive Covid-19 diagnosis for any of our cast at this stage would mean two weeks missed and sadly an end to their time on the show. It has always been the case that no celebrity skater has missed more than one public vote.’   

Meanwhile, TOWIE narrator Denise was replaced by retired Olympic gymnast Amy Tinkler after doctors discovered she had three bone fractures in her shoulder which meant she’d be unable to perform any lifts or solo skating.

She wrote at the time: ‘GUTTED! If you’ve been watching @dancingonice you will be aware that just over a week ago I had a nasty fall and injured my shoulder. I managed to skate my first dance with @themattevers on the live show through a gritted smile because the pain was unbearable…

‘I’ve tried as hard as I can to carry on because I love the show and the amazing team in front and behind the cameras. Initially we thought with rest I could make a return to the ice, but a recent MRI scan has shown that I have three bone fractures as well as a partial dislocation. OUCH! No wonder I’ve been in agony.’