Covid: Dancing On Ice stars ‘livid as Vanessa Bauer lives with her boyfriend’

Dancing On Ice kicked off with a bang on Sunday night as six of the twelve hopeful celebrity contestants showcased their talents on the rink.

But stars of the ITV skating competition are said to be livid as Vanessa Bauer has continued living with her boyfriend Rory McCall as the latest series is underway.

Some pro skaters have reportedly accused the show’s bosses of endangering their Covid-19 bubble by letting the dancer, 24, stay with her personal trainer beau.

It is claimed that other Dancing On Ice stars have been ordered to separate from their families to stop the spread of coronavirus amid strict safety rules.

A source told The Sun: ‘Many of us are livid, we have given up our families for months, and she’s carrying on as normal because everyone bangs on about how sexy she is.

‘It feels like one rule for some and another for the rest of us.’

While another insider added: ‘We are being ultra-cautious about everything because we all want the series to be safe, but if Vanessa is living with her boyfriend that’s an obvious issue.’

But a production source told the publication that the show’s rules only require couples who are both contracted to the series to be separates for the series. 

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Vanessa and Dancing On Ice for comment.

ITV reassured fans earlier this month that the show would be back as planned despite the third national lockdown, however with new precautions including perspex dividers between the judges and no audience.

The news came amid claims the celebs and their professional skating partners were concerned about coronavirus hitting the show and it being cancelled. 

For the series, the judging panel are sitting far apart, keeping in line with social distancing measures, and perspex panels are being placed between them.

And for the first time in its history, the studio at Bovingdon Airfield in Hertfordshire does not have an audience, a move mirroring that of Strictly Come Dancing.

The skating celebrities are also watching each other perform from socially-distanced tables to keep everyone safe from COVID-19.

Vanessa and her celebrity partner Joe-Warren Plant had an interesting start to the competition after Emmerdale actor, 18, fell on the ice during Sunday’s launch show.

Although decking it, Joe managed to get back up with a smile on his face and continue the routine alongside professional partner.

However this did hit him in the scores, with Ashley declaring he takes ‘an entire point off’ if there’s a fall in the routine.

Chris added: ‘You gave a performance, even though there was a fall, there’s intricacy in the footwork and you looked comfortable on the ice.’

Before the show kicked off, Joe recently weighed in on claims he has a romantic connection with Vanessa, admitting they do have ‘chemistry’.

Joe told MailOnline him and Vanessa ‘get on so well’ and he’s keen to impress the competitive dancer by reaching the Dancing On Ice final.

He said: ‘With Dancing On Ice, it is about telling a story, to be engaged with the audience and the judges. So, you have to have a certain level of chemistry between you and your partner.

‘Everybody has seen that we’re getting on so well and automatically assumed that something is going on but there isn’t and we’re just dedicated to the show and trying to do as best as we possibly can.

‘Vanessa has always been in the finals and she’s very driven and competitive so we work well on that together, I’m competitive as well, we’re just going to do our absolute best.’

It was claimed that Joe’s girlfriend Nicole Hadlow dumped him after they rowed over the amount of hours he dedicated to rehearsals of the ITV show with Vanessa.

But his ex-girlfriend has since hinted that they may have rekindled their romance after sharing a cryptic Instagram post about ‘forgiveness’ earlier this month.

Joe admitted he’s still not over his breakup, though being part of the series has given him the chance to focus his mind on the competition, instead of his love life.  

He explained: ‘Dancing On Ice has come at a good time for me both physically and mentally but relationships are hard to deal with it and it has helped take my mind off it slightly, having to focus and train all day, every day.

‘Even when you’re not training and you’re at home you have to take the recovery aspect into terms, so it has helped take my mind off it but things are still tough to be fair.’ 

Since joining the show in 2017, Vanessa has been linked to three of her four dance partners, including Jake Quickenden, 32, and Love Island’s Wes Nelson, 22, who she also reached the final of the competition with. 

But Vanessa previously told The Sun that she found it ‘irritating’ that people only seemed to be focused on the ‘romance’ and not her hard work as a dancer on the show.

Vanessa insisted that she is a ‘professional’ and never enquires about the romantic lives of her celebrity dance partners.  

She told The Sun: ‘As far as I’m concerned when my partners have split from their girlfriends I doubt it’s got anything to do with me.’ 

Last week, Joe’s ex-girlfriend Nicole seems to have hinted that they may have rekindled their romance after sharing a cryptic Instagram post on Thursday.

Nicole took to her Instagram stories to share a mysterious message about ‘learning to forgive’ and ‘loving with all your heart’ with her 17,000 followers. 

The post also hinted at not staying ‘mad for too long’, sparking rumours that she has reunited with the soap opera star. 

She penned: ‘We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. So don’t stay mad for too long. Learn to forgive and love with all your heart. Don’t worry about the people who don’t like you. Enjoy the ones who love you.’ 

MailOnline contacted Joe’s representatives for comment at the time.