Two professional skaters who have a fiery relationship are said to have thrown the new series of Dancing On Ice “into chaos” as they just can’t get along.
According to The Sun, Meg Marschall, 25, and Lloyd Jones, 29, have had a series of “ugly rows backstage” resulting in ITV bosses rethinking their appearance on the show.
The pair had been due to perform with Kem Cetinay and Donna Air respectively but the celebrities will now need new partners, which could disrupt their preparations for the first live show in the New Year.
The source told The Sun’s Dan Wootton: “Meg and Lloyd have a lot of history and thought they could bury the hatchet and be on the same show.
“But they couldn’t do that and it resulted in ugly rows backstage causing them to be hauled in by production.
“Everyone agreed that the best course of action would be to let them go. And they’ve now been replaced.
“It has called a huge chaos for ITV and the show as the series starts in January.”
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The insider added: “Production bosses didn’t put up much of a fight and they understood the decision to leave. I think both of them thought it was just easier if they’re not having to be around each other all of the time.
“The only thing production were conscious of when they had the conversation was that it would be unfair to keep one and not the other anyway. So they both had to go.”
The insider said the professionals had already met their celebrity partners and started planning their performances but an ITV spokesman said none of the celebs have been rehearsing with their pros full-time yet.
Megan’s Instagram page reveals how she and Lloyd have danced together professionally for some time and were loved up back in May when they enjoyed a romantic weekend away together in Paris.
But it seems their relationship has become strained of late and the ITV spokesman confirmed the two professionals have left the show for “personal reasons”.
However, they played down the disruption their departure had caused.
It’s not uncommon to have to replace dancers due to injury so they had back-up professionals they could call on to step into the breach.
The ITV spokesman said: “Megan and Lloyd have left the show for personal reasons. They will be replaced by Alex Murphy and Mark Hanretty. None of the professional skaters begin training with their celebrity partners until next week.”
The rebooted Dancing On Ice will return to our screens in January after a three year break. Other celebrity contestants include presenter Jake Quickenden, weather forecaster Alex Beresford and Bake Off winner Candice Brown.
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Olympians Torvill and Dean will join the judging panel along with returning favourite Jason Gardiner and new addition Ashley Banjo from Diversity.