PICTURED: Axed Dancing On Ice star Rufus Hound breaks Covid rules as he enjoys a stroll in a park
PICTURED: Axed Dancing On Ice star Rufus Hound enjoys a stroll in the park while waiting for his POSITIVE Covid test result… after sparking claims he ‘broke lockdown rules’
- Ex Dancing On Ice star visited Hampton Court Park, in west London, on Tuesday
- The comedian, 41, was seen strolling with his children in a colourful face mask
- Rufus announced his exit from the ITV skating show on Twitter on Wednesday
Rufus Hound has been pictured enjoying a stroll in a park while he was awaiting the results of a Covid test – which came back positive.
The axed Dancing On Ice star, 41, visited Hampton Court Park, in west London, with his children on Tuesday just hours after having a swab for the virus, sparking claims he ‘broke lockdown rules’.
Snaps show the comedian donning a face mask and black tracksuit as he enjoys a walk through the public area with his family.
Pictured: Rufus Hound has been pictured enjoying a stroll through a park while awaiting his positive Covid test results on Tuesday
Rufus also added a pair of sunglasses for part of the outing with his children Alby and Hilda, who he shares with estranged wife Beth Johnson.
A source told The Sun: ‘It was clear Rufus did not want to be seen. He was tested on Tuesday and the rules state you must isolate until you know your results.
‘It didn’t matter either way, as he tested positive, which prompted his exit from the show. To openly break the rules is just shameless.’
MailOnline has contacted Rufus’ representative for a comment.
Waiting for news: The comedian, 41, donned a mask and comfy tracksuit for the walk
Oh dear: Rufus, pictured Tuesday, wore a colourful face covering for the stroll outside
Getting some air: The father-of-two cut a casual figure in all-black and a pair of green trainers
Family outing: Rufus was joined by his two children Alby and Hilda
The NHS website states: ‘It’s a legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive or are told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace. You could be fined if you do not self-isolate.’
‘You must self-isolate if you have any symptoms, have tested positive or have been in close contact with someone in your support bubble who has symptoms or has tested positive for Covid.’
Several government sites also recommend staying home and isolating while awaiting test results.
Rufus announced he was no longer competing in Dancing On Ice in a tweet and video message on Wednesday evening.
His withdrawal came after he had already missed two weeks of shows due to self-isolation – during which he tested positive with ‘a mild case’ of the virus.
Claims: A source said: ‘It was clear Rufus did not want to be seen. He was tested on Tuesday and the rules state you must isolate until you know your results’
Controversy: The source added: ‘It didn’t matter either way, as he tested positive, which prompted his exit from the show. To openly break the rules is just shameless’
Drama: The NHS website states: ‘It’s a legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive or are told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace. You could be fined if you do not self-isolate’
Despite completing the government mandated quarantine time to recover from coronavirus, strict rules at ITV dictate he cannot return at all.
Show bosses confirmed that Rufus and his professional partner Robin Johnstone have both been axed from Dancing On Ice and will be replaced by Matt Richardson, 29, and his pro-skater partner Vicky Ogden this weekend.
He is the latest star to leave the show amid a series of unfortunate events, including Denise Van Outen’s departure due to injury, Graham Bell’s partner Yebin Mok’s injury and Billie Faiers’ one-week absence due to her grandmother’s death.
On January 23, it was revealed that Rufus would miss two shows after coming into contact with somebody with coronavirus. He had to pull out in accordance with government guidelines, which state that he had to isolate for 10 days.
Bit of a week: The park outing came a day before Rufus announced his exit from Dancing On Ice on Wednesday
Low key appearance: Rufus covered up for the walk, wearing his hood up and sunglasses as well as a mask
Double ditch! A spokesperson for DOI confirmed Rufus and his pro partner Robin Johnstone have both been axed from the skating show on Wednesday (pictured on the launch night)
During his isolation however, he discovered he had contracted the virus himself and despite completing the quarantine period, strict ITV rules state that he cannot return in a nod to the safety of stars and crew on the show.
Breaking the news to his 1m followers, Rufus tweeted: ‘I will no longer be participating Dancing On Ice. COVID is – as I’m sure we’re all well aware – a b**tard and sadly the world isn’t short of those.’
In an accompanying video from the comedian, Rufus admitted his disappointment as he said: ‘Hello it’s Rufus here, I’m going to keep this as brief as possible.
‘Lord knows this is not the first of these I’ve tried to record, they all seem to take a million years. So, I just really quickly want to say two things, the first is the news I won’t be participating in Dancing On Ice.
‘Unfortunately having coming into contact with someone who had COVID and then isolating, it transpired that I myself had COVID. So I have dealt with that and quarantined and the like.
Staying positive: The former DOI star’s mask read ‘hope’ and he appeared to be in good spirits as he smiled on the walk
End of the road: Rufus only got to skate once on Dancing On Ice before going into isolation
Flying under the radar: He tucked his hands in his pockets and pulled up his hood in the park
Off they go: The family stayed close together while in Hampton Court Park on Tuesday
‘Unfortunately, the rules in Dancing On Ice are completely… very cut and dry, very strict because they need to keep everyone on the production as safe as possible.
‘So it seemed like when I was just quarantining there might be a window of opportunity for me to get back to the show… A window I now know doesn’t exist.’
In a statement, ITV spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm that following a positive test result, Rufus Hound is unable to return to Dancing On Ice this weekend.
‘Although Rufus and his partner Robin’s time on the ice has been all too brief, they can be truly proud of their achievements. We thank them for all their hard work and commitment to the show.’
With the departure of Rufus and Robin, comedian Matt Richardson and his pro-skater partner Vicky Ogden will replace them on the line up from this weekend.
Rufus will rejoin the cast for the finale when the stars do a group number, his pro partner Robin confirmed on Instagram on Thursday.
In his own words: The comedian took to Twitter on Wednesday evening to announce in a video message that he has sadly had to withdraw from the ITV skating competition
Earlier in the week, it was reported that bosses were ‘refusing to axe Hound’ after historic tweets by the star using racist and homophobic slurs resurfaced and he was told he ‘won’t be kicked off the show’.
A source claimed to The Sun that ITV was being hypocritical with Hound – following the axing of I’m A Celebrity star Jack Maynard back in 2017 after tweets emerged of him using racist and homophobic slurs.
A source told the website: ‘Dancing On Ice have made their position clear and while Rufus’s tweets have been quietly condemned, right now it’s not being seen as an offence which would require his removal.
‘It seems there is one rule for some, and one for another. After Jack was taken off I’m A Celebrity for the same kind of tweets, it was assumed that Rufus would be told he should step down.
‘But it’s been made clear to those working on the show that they’re standing by him.’
It was previously reported Dancing on Ice bosses were facing calls to remove Hound from the show after he tweeted claims that Theresa May planned the Manchester Arena terror attack.
New rules: The announcement of his departure comes after Dancing On Ice informed all the skaters that if they test positive for Covid-19 they will immediately be axed from the ITV show
