Gemma Collins kicked off at ‘Dancing On Ice’ judge Jason Gardiner in Sunday night’s live show, accusing him of “selling stories” about her.
For the last week, Gemma has been at the centre of various tabloid accusations citing “diva” behaviour behind the scenes of the ITV show, which have been repeatedly denied by both the show and her professional partner Matt Evers.
During the most recent live show, Gemma and Matt took to the ice for the second time, for a routine inspired by Marilyn Monroe and her song ‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend’.
However, she ended up getting the lowest score of the night, with the judging panel suggesting her performance was a little low on content, which she put down to the fact her confidence had been “knocked” and she hadn’t had as much time to rehearse as she’d been too upset.
When Jason Gardiner’s time to critique her came up, though, Gemma fired back, suggesting he’d been the reason for the tabloid rumours about her.
Jason suggested her performance had been more “Anna Nicole Smith” than “Marilyn Monroe”, before declaring she was “all over the place, hun”.
As he stated she needed to “up the ante” because we’re “not going to see big lifts from you”, Gemma responded: “Maybe if you didn’t sell stories on me I wouldn’t have been so upset from you.”
When Jason protested that he “didn’t need” to sell stories and that she was harming her own cause, Gemma continued: “Move on. Boring. Next! Don’t sell stories on me. Don’t sell stories on me.”
Later in the show, presenter Holly Willoughby made reference to the incident, when she commented: “Well it is time for the final skating star of the night and it’s our Pussycat Doll.
“Let’s get the inside story as she skates to a song from West Side Story… nobody sold that story that’s for sure.”
At the end of the show, it was revealed that Gemma would live to skate another week, with former ‘EastEnders’ star Richard Blackwood being sent home, after a skate-off against ‘Loose Women’ presenter Saira Khan.
Prior to Sunday’s live show, Jason admitted that he was concerned Gemma was turning the show into a “circus”, noting: “What I don’t want is it to become is a pantomime. I don’t want people to destroy the great legacy the show has already achieved.”
When one ‘Dancing On Ice’ fan said they were concerned controversy was overshadowing the skating on the current series, Jason responded: “Couldn’t agree more.
“I spoke about all the contestants for the interview but they have only run with what’s been printed. You’ve made a valid observation about the role our media play in all this. Sadly the other celebs are being overlooked by the press.”
Jason’s interview came after Gemma’s claims the show had turned “a bit blade wars” behind the scenes, and that she was close to discovering who had been selling stories about her to the press.
‘Dancing On Ice’ returns on Sunday night at 6pm.
