Skiier Chemmy Allcott has missed out on a place in the Dancing On Ice semi-final after narrowly losing out in her fourth skate-off of the series. Chemmy - who had previously seen off competition from Andy Whyment and Rosemary Conley, as well as winning the solo skate-off earlier in the series. But despite winning praise from the judges, and receiving her highest score of the series so far with 26 out of 30, she was no match for Chico when it came to facing him in the bottom two. However the result was not a unanimous one, with Katarina Witt initially opting to save Chemmy before Robin Cousins voted for Chico, bringing the score to one each. "You both came out and got stronger," Robin said, "but the person who had that spark for me, and the person I'm going to save, is Chico." Louie Spence then had the casting vote, and despite saying he had a "difficult decision" on his hands, opted to save Chico - sending the 40-year-old through to the semi-final. Afterwards Chemmy - who dubbed herself 'queen of the skate-off' in recognition of her fourth appearance in the bottom two - admitted she was "gutted" to be going home, but said, "Everyone's a lovely skater out there, we've all got different elements and I've just had so much fun." And she added, "To everyone out there who has overcome adversity, this time last year I was on crutches and I couldn't walk and now I can do this - so thank you!" Earlier in the show Chemmy had won praise from the judges for her circus-themed routine, which saw her play magician's assistant to skating partner Sean Rice. "You are naturally funny and it showed out there tonight," Louie said while Katarina added, "You could have a new career as an actress." Favourites Matthew Wolfenden and Jorgie Porter made it through to the semi-final on the public vote, along with actress Jennifer Ellison. Next Sunday will see the remaining foursome facing their biggest challenge yet, as they have to take on the Ultimate Skills Challenge and perform 23 individual moves in a solo one-minute routine. The challenge previously appeared in a solo skate-off which led to the departure of Heidi Range and Sebastien Foucan - the latter departing under dramatic circumstances when he forgot the routine midway through. The contestant who receives the highest score from the judges next weekend will automatically win a place in the final, with the remaining two finalists decided by public vote, and the fourth semi-finalist leaving the competition.
