Tippy Packard leaves Dancing On Ice after shock injury

Tippy Packard has dropped out of ‘Dancing On Ice’ after suffering an injury.

The professional skater, 28 has appeared on the ITV show since 2022, and was due to perform with ski jumper Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards - who had replaced ‘Gogglebox’ regular Stephen Lustig-Webb after he injured his ankle - but was forced to leave the programme ahead of its launch after she sustained an injury during training.

A TV insider told The Sun: “She suffered an injury in training but we’re all hopeful that she’ll be back on the show soon.”

Tippy will be replaced on the series by Vicky Ogden, who took to social media to share her excitement at getting the chance to work with such a "legend."

She wrote: "I'm absolutely thrilled to share that I'll be skating with the incredible Eddie on this season of @dancingonice

"Eddie "The Eagle" is a true legend who has captured the hearts of fans worldwide. This year we're determined to show just how iconic he is. 🇬🇧

Together, let's recreate the magic and cheer Eddie on like we did all those years ago."

Tippy had previously taken to Instagram to express her excitement over joining Eddie on the ice.

In a post on the social media platform, she captioned a picture of the smiling pair: “‘The Eagle has landed! We have completed the Class of 2024! I am so happy to introduce my partner for this series…the legend that is Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards.”

Commenting on the news, Stephen wrote: “Yay good luck guys! I’m rooting for ya xx”.

The 52-year-old ‘Gogglebox’ star was forced to drop out of the ITV programme in October after he suffered an injury whilst training on the ice.

At the time, a spokesperson for the show said: "Stephen Lustig-Webb has had to withdraw from the show due to an injury he sustained to his ankle during training.

"He is still very much a part of the Dancing on Ice family, we will be helping to support Stephen and we wish him well with his recovery.”

Reflecting on the situation, Stephen told The Sun: “I’m really gutted, it’s really hard mentally cos I’m indoors all day now. Training was going really well, I was improving every day and that’s the gutting thing - it isn’t like I was doing the headbanger, I was just doing this simple little move and I just slipped. I screamed in agony, it was awful.

“I’ve allowed myself to be a bit down in the dumps about it and I’ve had to stop watching everyone’s progress on social media but I have to look towards the future and hopefully a new job after Christmas.”