Joey Essex has sparked concern he won’t be able to skate this weekend (Picture: ITV/REX/Instagram)

Things aren’t looking good for Joey Essex ahead of this weekend on Dancing On Ice.

The former Towie star, 32, has been forced to rest ahead of Sunday’s live show after sustaining an injury.

Sharing a photo after rehearsals, Joey showed his right leg all bandaged up.

‘Had better days…’ he wrote alongside the snap.

It’s unclear what exactly happened to cause Joey’s injury and if he’s in hospital, or whether he’ll be back on the ice in time for Sunday’s performance.

But, the set-back will surely come as a blow, as the reality icon and pro partner Vanessa Bauer have impressed week after week, slowly creeping up the leaderboard and wowing the panel with impressive tricks.

Just last weekend, he transformed into the one and only Sir Elton John for Icons Week, skating to I’m Still Standing in a flamboyant, sparkly ensemble.

He and German skater Vanessa – with whom he’s been romantically linked since the series began – scored an impressive 33 points out of a possible 40 from the judges.

Oti Mabuse told him: ‘That is a fantastic way to open the show, you came out big energy… you look like you belong,’ with Joey achieving his highest score yet.

As for this weekend’s routine, Vanessa revealed on Tuesday that the performance will be a ‘childhood dream come true’ for her.

Sharing a snap with Joey to Instagram, she penned on Valentine’s Day: ‘Onto a new week of @dancingonice for us, this next routine will be a childhood dream come true for me’.  

More to come…

ITV has been contacted for comment.

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Will Joey make it back onto the ice?