ITV has confirmed that Dancing On Ice will not be airing this weekend following a string of withdrawals from the show.

In total, four celebrities have been forced to pull out of the competition since it started last month, with Denise van Outen and Billie Faiers dropping out due to injury and Rufus Hound and Joe-Warren Plant both leaving after testing positive for coronavirus.

The series only had two celebrities waiting in the wings as reserves, while Jason Donovan was forced to miss the most recent show because of his own injury.

With five episodes remaining of the series but only seven couples left in the competition, ITV has now decided to take the precautionary measure of skipping this weekend's show to try to ensure that the series can be completed in full without any further setbacks.

A spokesperson said: "ITV have taken the decision to pause Dancing on Ice this week and there will be no live show on Sunday 21st February.

"Each week our production team and cast have delivered a fantastic show during incredibly challenging times.

"The welfare of all of those involved is important to us and we felt it prudent to take a week's break at this juncture.

"Continuing to make the best TV for our viewers is of paramount importance to us and we look forward to resuming the competition next week, with the show back live on Sunday 28th February."

It is unclear whether the show will still run to 10 episodes in total or whether the news effectively means that a week has been cut from the broadcast.

In place of the show this Sunday ITV plans to air a highlights programme, Dancing On Ice: The Greatest Show On Ice.