ITV Dancing on Ice judge Ashley Banjo to be replaced as huge shake-up announced
Ashley Banjo will be replaced on Dancing on Ice after it was confirmed he will be absent for a lengthy period of time.
American figure skater Johnny Weir will take the dancer's place on the ITV panel, it has been confirmed. The move comes as the 35-year-old is set to hit the road with his dance troupe, Diversity. The news of his hiatus was announced on Sunday and now we know who is filling in.
Ashley will be temporarily stepping away from the competition from next week and things will be in safe hands with two-time Olympian Johnny, 39, jetting in all the way from America to keep Ashley's seat warm. Dancing on Ice presenter Holly Willoughby announced the star’s departure during Sunday’s edition of the show.
It has been confirmed Johnny Weir will be stepping in (Getty Images)
Holly Willoughby confirmed Ashley will be taking some time away (Kieron McCarron/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Ashley is due to return to the panel alongside Oti Mabuse, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean in time for the show’s semi-final. Fans are exciting to see stand-in Johnny in action. Before hanging up his skates, the Pennsylvanian-born athlete competed on season 29 of Dancing with the Stars in the US. He placed sixth overall during the 2020 competition and was partnered with Britt Stewart.
Following the announcement that Ashley will be away for a while, the show's viewers were quick to react to his replacement. One fan took to X, formerly Twitter, and wrote: “Johnny Weir replace Ashley as a judge on #DancingOnIce next week. That's an upgrade and a half.”
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A second said: “Next Sunday will be musicals week on #DancingOnIce this should be good and with Johnny Weir from the USA as a guest judge as Ashley will be with Diversity. And also a double elimination so it should be more intensifying as well as exciting I think?”
Ashley’s 55-date Diversity tour will commence on Tuesday at St George’s Hall in Bradford before taking over London’s Palladium for three shows. The Britain’s Got Talent winners will then visit Stockton’s Globe and Sheffield’s City Hall before a three-night stint at Bristol’s Hippodrome to round off February.
The London-based group will continue to dance across the country until Saturday, April 13. Their final show will be a matinee performance at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne. Luckily for ice skating fans, they don’t have to go too long without the father-of-two.
This week the skate-off was back and Lou Saunders and Claire Sweeney performed one more time for a chance to make it through to next week's competition. Unfortunately, it was Claire who was sent home. It has been a dramatic week behind the scenes of the ITV show, according to sources, who have claimed that there was a row between Ricky Norwood and his professional partner Annette Dytrt that nearly led to him quitting the show.
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