Phillip Schofield was one of the original hosts of Dancing on Ice fronting the show with Holly Willoughby from 2006 until he quit in 2023

Phillip Schofield hosting Dancing on Ice from 2006 until 2023 (Image: Getty)

Phillip Schofield didn’t undertake many presenting projects outside of his This Morning role while he was at ITV. However one of the handful of side projects he undertook for the channel was hosting their answer to Strictly Come Dancing – but on ice.

When Dancing on Ice launched in 2006 Holly Willoughby was not yet his daytime TV wife – it would be another three years before she joined him on the This Morning sofa- but the pair’s presenting chemistry was obvious and they helped turn the show into a huge hit for the channel.

Phillip was as much a part of the show as Torvill and Dean. Judges came and went, contestants changed annually, but Phillip and Holly remained a constant.

However, in 2023 ITV announced Phillip had stepped down from all his presenting duties with the channel. In September last year Phillip denied this claiming he was actually fired from the channel following an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger colleague.

Last season saw Deal or No Deal host Stephen Mulhern step into Phillip’s shoes as Holly’s sidekick on the show. He is back for his second season as presenter when the 2025 edition of the reality show launches this Sunday (January 12).

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield hosted Dancing on Ice since the beginning (Image: Getty)

Since Phillip’s very public fall from grace far bigger and more serious celebrity scandals have hit the headlines. With the furore that surrounded him at the time the affair was revealed having died down many people have come to his defence. So could the time be right for him to return to the show?

Jeremy Clarkson has publicly defended him on several occassions from the very beginning. At the time the scandal broke he wrote in The Times: “I’ve never seen a witch-hunt like it, and what baffles me most of all is that, as things stand, no crime has been committed.”

Lorraine Kelly has also sung his praises. Months after his ITV exit, she described him as a”‘delight” to work with and added he was “generous … not all men are, particularly male presenters, but he was.”

Do you think Phillip Schofield should return as Dancing on Ice host? Have your say in the poll below.