Phillip Schofield with Joey and Vanessa
TV

Dancing On Ice: Phillip Schofield under fire for ‘childish’ behaviour

Phil teased Joey last night

Dancing On Ice fans have criticised Phillip Schofield after last night’s episode (February 5).

They have accused the 60-year-old of displaying ‘childish’ behaviour over his treatment of contestant Joey Essex.

Last night’s installment proved to be an interesting watch.

Love Island 2022 winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu became the third celeb to be axed from the wintery competition and appeared pensive over her elimination.

Ekin Su looks sad with Brendyn on Dancing On Ice rink
Love Island alum Ekin-Su said goodbye to Dancing On Ice last night (Credit: ITV)

Phillip Schofield on Dancing On Ice

Still, for many viewers, the real drama came when hosts Phillip and Holly Willoughby spoke to Joey Essex. The Only Way Is Essex star is partnered with pro dancer Vanessa Bauer.

Phillip teased Joey over his alleged relationship with Vanessa and fans weren’t exactly left feeling impressed.

Joey, 32, and Vanessa, 26, completed a routine and achieved the highest score of the 2023 series yet. They performed the Paso Doble, a fast-paced Spanish dance.

As the pair awaited to hear their scores, Phillip threw a light-hearted jab at them.

Joey said he’s “fallen in love with ice skating”. Phillip then remarked: “With ice skating?” The audience then erupted into a fit of cheers and laughter.

Joey grinned, saying: “I’ve fallen in love with Paso.”

Joey Essex and Vanessa Bauer smile at Dancing On Ice judges
Joey Essex and figure skater Vanessa Bauer have been at the forefront of romance rumours for some time now (Credit: ITV)

Phillip didn’t stop there. “Anything else?”

“Erm, no,” Joey replied. “Just the ice.”

The Joey and Vanessa thing is a bit childish.

It seemed that Phillip was alluding to the alleged relationship between Joey and Vanessa. A backstage source on the show has even told The Sun they saw the couple kissing.

His cheeky comments, however, didn’t go down well with Dancing On Ice viewers as they accused him of acting in an infantile fashion.

Fans call out Phillip

Taking to apps like Twitter, viewers expressed how annoyed they were with the This Morning presenter.

“Do we really need Phil and Holly’s childish remarks to Joey every week?” one aggravated fan commented.

Phillip Schofield teases Joey Essex on Dancing On Ice
Dancing On Ice fans didn’t appreciate Phillip’s jabs at Joey (Credit: ITV)

Another wrote: “The Joey and Vanessa thing is a bit childish. Each to their own but Holly and Phil and others encouraging it is cringe. You’re not in [bleep] year seven.”

Read more: Dancing on Ice viewers cringe as Christopher Dean calls out Oti Mabuse in ‘awkward’ moment

“I wish Phil stopped digging to get Joey to announce his relationship with Vanessa,” a third user said. “If they don’t want to talk about it, leave it.”

And a fourth fan remarked: “Why are they trying to push this showmance between Joey and Vanessa? So awkward.”

YouTube video player

Dancing On Ice continues this Sunday (February 12) from 6:25pm on ITV1 and ITVX. 

What do you think about Phillip’s playful jibe? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know!