DANCING On Ice bosses are throwing everything at the series finale by bringing in a huge format shake-up.
For the first time ever, four couples will make it through to the final as opposed to the usual three.
As a result of this, there will be other surprises and performance additions, with all to be revealed soon.
It means everything is to play for on this Sunday’s semi-final as just one of the remaining five skaters will go home, narrowly missing out on the final hurdle.
A show source said: “Now in its sixteenth series, DOI producers have made a concious effort to reinvent the wheel this series.
“It’s going to make this Sunday’s semi-final tender than ever – the stakes are as high as can be.”
Only Adele Roberts, Greg Rutherford, Miles Nazaire, Amber Davies and Ryan Thomas remain.
It comes after the show already welcomed a brand new co-host in Stephen Mulhern, who replaced Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby.
Ashley Banjo was temporarily replaced on the judges panel, too, with US skate pro Johnny Weir.
Head judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean’s future on the show also looks wobbly, with them last month revealing they were retiring from skating and would no longer perform together.
They made announcement on the 40th anniversary of their win at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.
Jayne and Christopher cited ageing and losing some of the physical abilities they had in their younger days as the main reason behind retirement.
They will bring the curtain down on their glittering career next year in a farewell tour.
Professionals and celebrities from the ITV1 series are expected to join them.
The pair, both in their sixties, want to bow out while they are still able to perform their gold-winning 1984 Bolero routine.
Christopher said: “It’s been 50 years and the body won’t allow us to keep doing it too much. We felt there was one tour left in us where we can go out and be nostalgic.”
Jane added: “We’re lucky we can still perform to a level we’re happy with, considering our age and how many years we’ve put our bodies through training.”
