Amid reports it may be the last series, Sam Aston has been announced as the winner of Dancing On Ice 2025. The Coronation Street actor, 31, beat presenter Michaela Strachan, 58, and footballer Anton Ferdinand, 40, in the show’s live final – hosted by Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern.
Sam was left speechless after his win was announced, unable to speak as he was handed the trophy by head judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
Meanwhile, Michaela – who became the oldest finalist in the show’s history – said, ‘It’s been an amazing journey, and I feel like I’m a winner to get this far with Mark [Hanretty], it’s been fantastic.’
And while many people are happy for Sam – who has played Chesney Brown on Corrie since 2003 – some were left miffed that Sam became the ninth male winner in a row.
The last female winner of the show was gymnast Beth Tweddle, who lifted the trophy in 2013.
Since, the show has been won since Ray Quinn, Jake Quickenden, James Jordan, Joe Swash, Sonny Jay, Regan Gascoigne, Nile Wilson, Ryan Thomas and now Sam.
Taking to social media, one fan wrote, ‘Called this result weeks ago. Always a white male. Even more likely if they’re a regular on Corrie. Nothing to do with the skating. Michaela absolutely deserved to win and it would have been a fitting end for Mark, who has been an amazing pro and an all-round gent.’
A second joked, ‘I'm so glad Dancing on Ice has had such a diverse and unique set of winners since the reboot.’
While a third fumed, ‘Michaela should have won that hands down, just speechless.’
Others even claimed the result was a ‘fix’ and called the show ‘sexist’.
However, there was, of course, an outpouring of celebration from Sam’s fans who had voted for him to win.
One wrote, ‘Congratulations to Sam & Molly winning it. So happy for the both of them.’
A second added, ‘Worthy winner from day one. Huge congratulations to Sam & molly Sam was my favourite to win from the beginning, well done Sam our #Corrie winner.'
After media reports that this year’s Dancing On Ice may have been the last, an ITV spokesperson said over the weekend that ‘no decision has been made’ on its future.
Fans hold out hope, though, as host Holly signed off the show saying, ‘See you next time!’
Dancing On Ice is available to watch on ITVX.
Samuel McManus is a senior content creator for Bauer Media, writing celebrity news and features across five of the company’s brands – heat, Closer, Grazia, Bella and Yours. Samuel has worked at Bauer Media since November 2024.