This is who won Dancing on Ice 2021 - and how to watch on catch up

The winner of ITV’s Dancing on Ice was announced on Sunday night (14 March), after the top three celebrity skaters and their partners took to the ice for the 2021 finals.

Capital Radio’s Breakfast presenter Sonny Jay was crowned the winner, despite going head to head with bookmakers’ favourite, former Coronation Street actress Faye Brookes.

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So, what happened in the final and what were the highlights from the series? This is what you need to know.

Who were the finalists?

Sonny Jay and Faye Brookes performed alongside former Olympian Colin Jackson, in a bid to be crowned the Dancing on Ice 2021 winner.

The finalists skated twice in Sunday night’s show, once before the top two were announced and then the final two pairs skated in a last attempt to wow viewers.

Jackson was eliminated first, leaving Sonny Jay and Brookes to battle it out by performing the Bolero - the style of dance which Olympian legends Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean executed in their 1984 Sarajevo Winter Games Gold victory.

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Alongside Torvill and Dean, dancer Ashley Banjo and performer John Barrownman judged the celebrities and their partners.

Brookes was the favourite to win alongside her professional partner Matt Evers. She had previously been partnered with Hamish Gaman, but he was replaced after he sustained an injury.

Jackson had been in the bottom two in the semi-finals, alongside Lady Leshurr, but managed to make it to the final three with skating partner Klabera Komin.

Sonny Jay continued to be the underdog throughout the show, never experiencing the bottom two skate-off, with his partner Angela Egan.

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He appeared shocked when he was awarded the coveted trophy on Sunday (14 March) and as he lifted it, he said: "That is mental! Thank you so much."

What were this year's highlights?

This year’s show came with more controversy and calamity than highlights, as a string of hiccups led to the dismissal of some contestants, with ITV bosses opting to take the show off air for a week halfway through the competition.

Some Twitter users expressed their dismay at the “very slow” and “basic” performances on the final night, which could have been attributed to the cautious approach taken after several injuries led to contestants being forced to quit the show.

Singer Jason Donovan quit after injury, as did Denise Van Outen and reality star Billie Faiers.

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Emmerdale’s Joe-Warren Plant quit after a positive Covid-19 test, while comedian Rufus Hound was also forced to quit after testing positive for coronavirus.

But former contestant Matt Richardson made everyone laugh on the final night, when he fell during his short return to the ice before clambering to his feet and shaking his jazz hands.

All contestants from the 2021 series skated in a celebratory dance in Sunday night’s programme.

Torvill and Dean’s performance also wooed fans and the audience, as they danced to Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me to the Moon.

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Throughout the competition, the judges were shielded from each other by perspex screens and hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were also separated - however Torvill and Dean reunited in the final to perform their duet.

How did viewers react to Sonny’s win?

The response from viewers was mixed, as Sonny was crowned King of the Ice.

Some took to social media to congratulate him, while others felt it was the wrong decision.

One fan wrote on Twitter: “YAY!! Really well deserved!! No one was perfect tonight but Sonny was the best and his bolero was a lot better than Faye's in my opinion. He had all my votes so I'm happy with this result.”

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Another said: “So glad he won! I have been a fan of Faye from the start but she started off so well and then just failed to get better! @SonnyJay made it look easy tonight and skated on his own a lot more! Well deserved”.

While many were quick to congratulate, some felt Brookes should have won and that the show was “past its sell by date”.

One tweet said: “He should never have been in the final, he had the lowest score and Faye's skate was well better.”

Another agreed, stating: “Disappointed that the best wasn't the winner..she was robbed and I will not watch this farce again..shame on itv”.

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A third added: “Hopefully this will be the last we see of DOI as its now past its sell by date. We need new shows, rather than the same old format redressed year after year.”

Where can I watch the finals?

The Dancing on Ice finals were televised live on 14 March, on ITV.

You can now watch the final episode, and all the other episodes from the 2021 series, on the ITV hub.

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