Controversy arose in the final episode of Dancing on Ice (February 25) when West End star Amber Davies was saved from skiing legend Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards in the skate-off, securing her place in the semi-finals.

The public reaction to the result was fierce, but it also revealed a disturbing double standard that has plagued the show for years and previously influenced reactions to its BBC rival, Strictly Come Dancing.

Amber has performed some stunning routines over the course of this series alongside her partner Simon Proulx-Sénécal, portraying characters from Matilda to Barbie.

She may not be as confident in her skating as some of those still competing, but she has proven time and time again that she has become an accomplished skater. She also did the fearsome “Headbanger” a few weeks ago, showing that she is willing to take risks and try difficult moves.

One could argue that Eddie should have been saved last night, as he did a lot more solo skating in his skate-off routine – but he wasn’t. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but nothing excuses the vitriol Amber received online because of it.

Amber and DJ Adele Roberts, the other woman left on the show, both finished in the top three on the leaderboard, with Adele receiving the highest score of the series so far. Of the remaining contestants, however, the two women have undoubtedly received the most criticism from the audience.

Just look at Instagram: the comments under posts about the male celebs are overwhelmingly positive, but the posts about Amber and Adele are flooded with people saying they are overrated and not as good as their high ratings suggest. It really feels like viewers are desperately trying to undermine their success.

The men are rightly praised for lifting their professional partners, but the women are somehow criticised for not being able to do so (even though Adele did lift her partner a few weeks ago!) and their routines therefore seem to impress viewers less.

The female celebs deserve more credit for their roles – it’s harder than it looks to be lifted up and draw beautiful shapes in the air, and the reason it might look so easy is because they perform these tricks so effortlessly.

Maybe men are more popular this year, you might ask. Maybe they’re just better skaters? But this trend has been going on for a long time.

It’s hard to believe that the last woman to win Dancing on Ice was gymnast Beth Tweddle in 2013 – a fact that was mentioned on the broadcast when the former champion was in the audience at last night’s show.

During the first season of Dancing on Ice, there was a fairly even split between male and female winners, with Hayley Tamaddon, Gaynor Faye and Suzanne Shaw all triumphing in their respective series. But since the show returned in 2018, not a single woman has won.

Not only that, since 2018, only two women have made it into the top two and skated Bolero, with talented women such as Kimberly Wyatt, Libby Clegg and Saara Aalto all making it to the finals but not being eliminated due to the audience vote.

So what has changed in the last decade? It’s hard to say, but it seems like the rise of social media hasn’t exactly made things better.

The online treatment of women has not gone unnoticed by those involved in the show. Rather than celebrating his own success from last night, Adele’s professional partner Mark Hanretty posted a video on Instagram today denouncing online abuse related to the show and admitting that much of it is directed at women.

In response to a negative comment about his partner on the platform, Mark also wrote: “There does seem to be some online vitriol against women on this show and a fascinating ability to overlook when the women walk alone as part of the choreography.”

And that’s where the double standard lies. Both Amber and Adele skate alone as part of their programs, but this is ignored by viewers who want to spread the story that the competition is rigged for them – when it’s clearly much harder to be a woman on Dancing on Ice.

This narrative resurfaces every year on the show and is the reason why it has become incredibly difficult for a woman to win, while men are always seen as more deserving of the win.

However, this disappointing statistic could change very soon. Despite the criticism she has received online, Adele has yet to lose a single competition and it seems possible that she could win the trophy in two Sundays. Not only has she developed into a very strong runner over the course of the series, but her journey has also inspired many people across the country.

Following her treatment for bowel cancer in 2021, Adele is the first ever contestant to skate with a stoma and her appearance on the show has broken down barriers and changed perceptions. Adele has previously spoken of being given a “second chance at life” and with Mark’s beautiful choreography, she has skated each week with a joy that cannot be taught.

The standard of the show is incredibly high this year and it’s still too close to predict a winner between the five remaining contestants. But could this be the series where a woman finally wins Dancing on Ice again?

Dancing on ice airs Sundays at 6:30pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.

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