Dancing on Ice - TV review

The series took a dramatic turn with Gareth Thomas withdrawing and the viewer's vote being cancelled because he was too ill to perform on a harness.

Meanwhile, show star Matt Lapinskas was also hitting the headlines away from the show following his split from EastEnders actress Shona McGarty.

In last night's show former rugby player Thomas had been sick and dizzy all week while performing flying moves on a harness.

And last night the celebrity could only perform one of his two planned routines with partner Robin Johnstone, putting him in the bottom two of the leaderboard.

But unable to perform in the skate-off, presenter Phillip Schofield told the audience: "Gareth is in the skate-off, however due to the nature of his condition we have cancelled the skate-off.

"Viewers who voted tonight can apply for a refund. Gareth has withdrawn from the competition."

Thomas' withdrawal meant the three remaining celebrities – EastEnders actor Matt Lapinskas, boxer Luke Campbell and gymnast Beth Tweddle – progress to the final.

The cancellation of the viewer's vote comes as a blow for the show which has seen falling viewer numbers since the series kicked off.

Viewing figures have fallen since Pamela Anderson was voted out at the start of January.

More than eight million people tuned in to see the former Baywatch star at the start of the series but since then this has fallen to five million.

Videos of Thomas' rehearsals with partner Robin Johnstone showed him vomiting as he struggled with the flying harnesses.

He scored 33.5 out of 40 for his first spin round the rink with Johnstone, but despite feeling sick, the Welshman finished his first dance, to Coldplay's Viva La Vida, and won praise from judge Ashley Roberts, the former Pussycat Doll, with her applauding his "transformation" during the course of the show.

However, he dramatically left the stage unable to talk and after seeing a doctor, and supported by his mother, the decision was taken to withdraw him from the competition.

But away from the illness it was Lapinskas and his partner Brianne Delcourt – with whom the actor has been rumoured to be getting close to – who most wowed the judges last night.

Performing to Straighten Up and Fly Right by Robbie Williams, the pair scored 39 out of 40.

They then equalled that with their final dance, to Michael Jackson's Bad, which brought a full top marks from Jason Gardiner, the notoriously hard-to-please judge.

"We really needed that tonight – that was a semi-final performance and had everything in it," he said afterwards.

The score was a boost for Lapinskas who has split from McGarty amid rumours he and Delcourt have been getting close.

However, McGarty took to Twitter to deny the pretty skater was the reason for the split.

Victoria Nash