Dancing on Ice 2023: when is the final, finalists with Nile Wilson and The Vivienne - who will be winner?

This weekend sees the 2023 series of Dancing on Ice come to its thrilling conclusion, with three celebrity skaters in contention to take home the coveted winner’s trophy.

Several big names have taken to the icewith their professional skaters over the past few weeks, including Love Island 2022 winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK champion The Vivienne and The Only Way Is Essex’s Joey Essex.

But who are the three names heading into the final, and who is the current favourite to be crowned the winner? And - perhaps most importantly - how and when can you watch it all unfold? Here is everything you need to know about it.

Who are the finalists?

Joey Essex, The Vivienne and Nile Wilson secured a place in the Dancing On Ice grand final following a dramatic double elimination as part of last week’s episode.

The five remaining celebrities skated twice during Sunday’s (5 March) episode before a dreaded skate-off saw the judges unanimously vote to save reality star Essex, sending Mollie Gallagher and Siva Kaneswaran.

Olympian Wilson and Olivia Smart made history scoring the first 10 of the series before gaining a perfect score. The 27-year-old skated to ‘In My Blood’ by Shawn Mendes, which he chose because the lyrics conveyed his mental health journey after retirement from gymnastics.

Meanwhile, avoiding the double elimination was Drag queen The Vivienne who performed an emotional skate with partner Colin Grafton to ‘Over The Rainbow’ by Eva Cassidy – securing three out of four 10s.

The 30-year-old entertainer, who rose to fame on BBC Three’s RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, said she chose the track after watching The Wizard Of Oz as a child which made her feel like “anything was possible”, adding that being in the semi-final of the show meant a lot “especially at a time when drag is under attack”.

Before being unanimously saved in the skate-off, 32-year-old Essex performed a tear-jerking skate with Vanessa Bauer to ‘High’ by Lighthouse Family in memory of his mother, who took her own life when he was aged 10.

In the video before his routine, Essex called himself a “mummy’s boy”, adding that the track reminded him of a time just after her death when he was in Marbella. After scoring 38, Essex said: “I did it for my mum, I also did it for Vanessa, she lost her dad last year. There is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Who will win?

The three finalists quite closely resemble the bookies’ odds revealed ahead of the series’ start, with Nile Wilson given impressive odds of 3/1 before the weekly episodes even began.

Essex will need to score higher than the frontrunner, who has had the most points in the skating series so far after last week’s perfect score and has never found himself in the skate-off.

Wilson said his “body awareness” and “courage” from being an athlete might have helped him “accelerate” his progress in the skating world.

How can I watch it?

The final of Dancing On Ice will air on Sunday 12 March at 6.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.