DANCING On Ice star Claire Sweeney has suffered a devastating injury that has left her time on the show hanging in the balance.

The 52-year-old soap star has been reportedly left with injured ribs and a dislocated shoulder after she smashed into the ice while training.

After being criticised and told to be ‘more daring’ by the judges, Claire and pro partner Colin Grafton were practicing a new series of spins when she lost her balance.

As a result the team are now frantically coming up with a brand new, stripped back routine so she can still participate.

Claire is reportedly also heavily icing the injury between rehearsals in the hope she’ll be OK in time.

A source told MailOnline: “She’s still in a lot of pain and they’ve had to change the routine to protect her shoulder.

“The routine change is completely last minute, so she’s having to learn new moves and of course her confidence has been knocked by the injury.”

However, the source added Claire was being a “real pro” and said: “So many people have pulled out previously with similar injuries, so everyone’s rallying around her and have nothing but respect for Claire’s determination.”

This is far from Claire’s first injury since starting her journey on Dancing On Ice – with her first routine thrown into chaos too after another injury.

Before her first performance, Claire admitted to Woman magazine that while she ‘loved’ being on the show she was ‘riddled with fear’ over the daredevil stunts.

In some cases she was left on the verge of tears.

She said: “What’s interesting about the ice is that you have falls when you least expect it.

“It’s not only a physical thing, it’s a mental thing.

“So when I fall – I put my shoulder out the other week and I done my wrist in – it’s getting the confidence [back]. The ice is unforgiving.”

Dancing On Ice continues Sundays at 6pm on ITV.

Keep up to date with the latest news, gossip and scandals on our celebrity live blog