Hollyoaks actress Stephanie Waring has said she is “very confused” over her exit from Dancing On Ice, and that her hard work has gone “down the toilet”.

The TV star became the second to be eliminated from the competition when facing singer Lemar in Sunday night’s skate-off.

Lemar stumbled during his routine on the ice, but he was chosen to remain in the show because of the quality of his skating.

Waring told ITV’s Lorraine: “The way I always thought Dancing On Ice was, was that the skate-off is just based on that skate and everyone has the chance to improve. You go on to improve.

“I wanted the opportunity to improve on my last skate and grow in the competition, just as Lemar, as he does as well. So I was like, we can’t make a mistake, it all rests on this one skate.

“So I was very confused as to … there was a trip, and yet I’m the one to go home.”

The morning programme’s host, Lorraine Kelly, said Waring was “not the only one” who was confused.

Waring said: “It is a lot of hard work just down the toilet, really.”

Sitting alongside her professional skating partner, Sylvain Longchambon, on the programme, Waring added: “I’ve had an incredible reaction from the fans and on Twitter.

“There has been a bit of outrage as well.”

After Waring and Lemar faced each other in the skate-off on the ice, judges Jason Gardiner and Ashley Banjo opted to save the actress from elimination due to the singer’s slight stumble.

Christopher Dean saved Lemar and Jayne Torvill, who acted as this week’s head judge, cast the deciding vote and opted to save him too.

Last week, former Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown became the first celebrity to leave the rebooted ice skating show.