Nile Wilson was crowned the winner of Dancing On Ice 2023, beating Joey Essex and The Vivienne in the grand final.
The 27-year-old Olympian broke down in tears as he lifted the glittering trophy with his professional partner Olivia Smart after wowing onlookers with his stunning take on the iconic bolero skate.
After the UK public received over a million votes, presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield congratulated the winners along with judges Ashley Banjo, Oti Mabuse, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
Nile got emotional and said: “I want to thank everyone who voted at home, I really appreciate it.”
“I just want to say, if Dancing on Ice is anything other than entertainment, we have eleven people of all different shapes and sizes on this stage tonight with an allotted time to get good at something and we’ve proven that we can.” it can can do that.
“What an inspiring show! If you put your mind to it and work hard, you can achieve anything you want.’
WINNER: Nile Wilson was crowned the winner of Dancing On Ice 2023, beating Joey Essex and The Vivienne in the grand finals
Emotional: The Olympian broke down in tears as he joined his professional partner Olivia Smart to lift the glittering trophy
Nile said: “I’d like to thank everyone who voted at home, I really appreciate it.”
Stunning: After his win was announced, the entire 2022 cast rushed onto the stage to congratulate Nile
Runner-up Joey added: “I missed a few steps but it was the time of my life. Well done Nile and Olivia.”
Nile follows in the footsteps of last year’s winner Regan Gascoigne, who won Dancing On Ice 2022 alongside partner Karina Manta.
Vivienne and Colin Grafton took third place in the final – Nile and Joey stayed on the legendary bolero.
Nile led the way with an elegant performance, saying at the end, “I can’t believe I got emotional.”
Joey then took to the ice and gave an emotional performance, with judge Chris saying, “You’ve come this far,” but pointing out some missteps.
While Nile made history as the first male contestant to perform the headbanger during the grand finale.
He received maximum points for the show stopping routine with judges Ashley Banjo, Oti Mabuse, Jayne Torvill and Chris Dean all earning him 10 points.
The headbanger, or bounce spin, looks like a skater raises their ankle and spins it around from their partner.
Because of the potential danger, the move is actually banned by the International Skating Union (ISU), which governs competitive skating.
Points are deducted by judges when performing the move at an ISU event, but it may be used in routines for exhibition or show skating.
Ahead of his routine, Nile said: “There will be eight other pros on the ice and it’s very, very intimidating. I have to blend in with them and not stand out.’
He added: “I just want to say, if Dancing on Ice is anything other than entertainment, we have eleven people of various shapes and sizes on this stage tonight with an allotted time to get good at something and we have proved we can do it.”
He ended with: “What an inspiring show! If you put your mind to it and work hard, you can achieve anything you want.’
Praised: Niles’ skating skills were praised by judges Ashley Banjo, Christopher Dean, Jayne Torvill and Oti Mabuse, with his performances in the finals earning perfect scores
Finals: Joey Essex and Vanessa Bauer finished second while The Vivienne and Colin Grafton finished third
Closing: Joey then took to the ice and gave an emotional performance, with judge Chris saying ‘you’ve come this far’ but pointing out some missteps
Performance: The couple looked elegant in their matching purple ensembles for the dance
Nile was up first with an elegant performance, saying at the end: “I can’t believe I got emotional”
Talented: The duo performed the exercise flawlessly and without mistakes
“A lot can go wrong in this routine, it’s the biggest challenge I’ve ever attempted on this show!”
Commenting on the routine, Ashley said: “After the week I know you’ve pulled this routine through clean and flawless it’s amazing.”
Oti said: “The passion, the thrill, the way you push yourself every week, that performance was worth a 10.”
Next up was Vivienne with a jam-packed freestyle they skated to Katy Perry’s Dark Horse and scored a whopping 40 points with partner Colin.
After smashing the performance, the drag queen said, “I’ll remember this for the rest of my life!”
Oti said: “For me I always thought you were a great performer but you have something so special, thank you for showing us power and control.”
Chris added: “It was so nice to see it come together tonight, it was so strong, well done.”
Joey Essex transformed into Hercules for his flagship skate with professional partner and beau Vanessa.
Like Nile and The Vivienne, the couple consistently received tens and praise from the judges.
Tense: Dancing On Ice came to a glittering conclusion on Sunday night as the final three celebs strapped on their skates for one last hooray
Dangerous: Nile made history as the first male contestant to perform the headbanger in the grand finale
Amazing: He received maximum points for the show stopping routine with judges Ashley Banjo, Oti Mabuse, Jayne Torvill and Chris Dean all earning him 10 points
“I had the time of my life, it was the best experience. I enjoyed every single day. It couldn’t have gone better,” enthused Joey after his performance.
“I’m so proud of you bro, I really hope people get behind you,” admitted judge Ashley Banjo.
Christopher Dean added: “It really was hero from zero tonight!”
Tonight’s three couples then took to the rink together to battle to remain in the competition – with only two couples managing to perform the bolero.
The 2023 line-up then returned to the rink, but as Holly and Phil introduced them, there was an awkward pause before Phil listened into his headphones and announced that someone wasn’t ready.
Holly, 42, giggled as she and Philip, 60, joked that someone “hadn’t laced their boots”.
The awkward incident began with Phillip telling the audience, “This year’s couples have all played a big part, so please welcome our 2023 skating stars and their partners.”
Next, the camera turned to an empty ice rink, only to cut back to the confused hosts seconds later.
Ever professional Phillip said: “They’ll be right there. Apparently someone is not ready.’
Impressive: The Vivienne was next with a packed routine they skated to Katy Perry’s Dark Horse and scored a whopping 40 points with partner Colin
After smashing the performance, the drag queen said, “I’ll remember this for the rest of my life!”
Showstopping performance: Joey Essex transformed into Hercules for his flagship skate with professional partner and beau Vanessa
Wow! Like Nile and The Vivienne, the couple consistently received tens and praise from the judges
Battle: Tonight’s three couples then took to the rink together to battle to remain in the competition – with only two couples managing to perform the bolero
Iconic: The 2023 line-up then returned to the rink – including Love Island’s Ekin-Su
While Holly, touching her earbud for an update, joked: “Anybody got nerves? Can we shame someone for this, can we name them? Oh, now we have her.’
After a few moments and the This Morning couple giggling like naughty schoolkids, the celebs finally emerged, with Phillip declaring: “All things are worth waiting for.”
In the Grand Finals, the finalists and their pro partners performed three routines – a showcase routine, a battle skate and, for the last two, a boléro.
Head judges and ice legends Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean will choreograph the show routines, with the pair no doubt having high expectations for Nile when he pulls off the show-stopping move.
Presenter Holly Willoughby looked incredible in a dazzling silver Sophie Couture gown as she introduced the finalists alongside co-host Phillip Schofield.
Dancing On Ice viewers criticized the show’s “unfair” voting rules during Sunday’s grand finale.
Viewers rushing to Twitter were quick to brand the show a “popularity contest” after lines opened before any of the finalists had even skated.
Finale: Joey Essex performed with partner Vanessa Bauer while Nile Wilson danced with Olivia Smart and The Vivienne ice skated with Colin Grafton
Glamorous: Ashley Banjo, Oti Mabuse, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean appeared ready
Stunning: DOI presenter Holly Willoughby looked incredible in a dazzling silver Sophie Couture gown as she introduced the finalists alongside co-host Phillip Schofield
Awkward: Holly, 42, and Phillip, 60, were left crawling during Sunday’s live finale
One frustrated fan wrote: “How can people be asked to vote (for a fee) when no one has skated yet?”.
While another added: “There’s no point in skating if you can already vote. It’s just a popularity contest.
A third said: “Why is the #DancingOnIce vote open before contestants have even started? Don’t they even pretend they want fair competition rather than popularity contests?’.
While another added: “DancingOnIce, what’s the point of someone skating if we can vote before they skate? That just goes to show that it’s a popularity contest, not a skating contest.
DANCING ON ICE 2023: MEET THE PARTICIPANTS
PATSY PALMER
AGE: 50
PROFESSION: Actress and DJ
WHAT DID YOU SAY?: “I’ve turned down before because I was scared, but when I turned 50 I made a pact to get out of my confrontational zone. ‘
EKIN SU CULCULOGLU
AGE: 28
PROFESSION: Love Island star
WHAT DID YOU SAY?: “I have amazing news for you. I’m so excited I can’t wait to get on the ice and skate. Stay tuned and see you on the ice.’
MOLLIE GALLAGHER
AGE: 24
PROFESSION: Actress
WHAT DID YOU SAID?: “I don’t have the best coordination, so people laugh when they find out, but I don’t want to spend my life saying, ‘I can’t do this, I can’t do this. “
Joey Essex
AGE: 32
PROFESSION: Ex-TOWIE star
WHAT DID YOU SAY?: “I’m so excited. I wanted something structured in my life that was more serious than what I usually do.’
CARLEY STENSON
AGE: 36
PROFESSION: Actress and West End star
WHAT DID YOU SAY?: “I’m so excited to be able to learn how to dance on ice! I’m scared but can’t wait – I just want to make the most of this whole experience.”
SIVA KANESWARAN
AGE: 33
PROFESSION: Singer
WHAT DID YOU SAY?: “I want to learn to skate and make my family proud of me and put on a show for all to see.”
JOHANNES FASHANU
AGE: 60
PROFESSION: Former soccer player and expert
WHAT DID YOU SAY?: “I’m definitely going to win it. And that might be one of the scariest things I’ve ever signed up for, but I couldn’t be more up for the challenge!”
NILE WILSON
AGE: 26
PROFESSION: Olympic gymnast
WHAT DID YOU SAY?: “I haven’t skated much but I’m so excited for the opportunity. I’m so excited to get into this routine and feel like an athlete again.
JAMES LEE WILLIAM AKA THE VIVIENNE
AGE: 29
PROFESSION: Drag queen
WHAT DID YOU SAY?: “To be the first drag artist to compete in one of the UK’s major reality competition shows is an honor and a huge step forward for queer representation on television.”
DARREN HARRIOT
PROFESSION: Comedian
AGE: 34
WHAT DID YOU SAID?: “I have huge feet, I can’t skate and I can’t dance. My family has already made bets – they’re making bets that I’ll fall in the first episode!”
MICHELLE HEATON
AGE: 43
PROFESSION: Singer
WHAT DID YOU SAY?: “I’ve always wanted to do it but I know the way I was 18 months ago I would never have been able to complete anything so I’m really very grateful ‘that I got it this year when I’m much stronger.’