‘Dancing On Ice’ judge Jason Gardiner has hit out at contestant Gemma Collins, accusing her of being “lazy” and turning the show into a “circus”.
The ‘TOWIE’ star has been at the centre of a number of reports about so-called diva behaviour behind the scenes of the ITV skating show this week, but despite her denying them on a number of occasions, Jason has now spoken out against her.
Speaking to The Sun, the acid-tongued judge said: “I can always see who’s lazy. Gemma is lazy. She doesn’t look like her heart is in it at all.”
Admitting he was unaware of who The GC was prior to her appearance, Jason explained he was initially excited to see her perform as she had bigged herself up as being “better than Beyonce”, but quickly saw she couldn’t back up her claims.
“She came out and did what can only be described as one of the most painful routines I’ve ever had to sit through because it looked so uncomfortable,” he said.
Addressing reports of Gemma’s behaviour off the ice, he continued: “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.
“What I would say to Gemma is, you signed up for this. If you really want people to see a different side of you, this is a great opportunity to do that, rather than saying, ‘This is too uncomfortable for me, I’m not the star attraction any more, I’m bored’ then quit.”
He added: “Quit the BS and just apply yourself. I don’t want to watch a circus.”
Among the claims made about Gemma this week were accusations she had thrown members of the show’s camera crew off the ice during her rehearsals, adding she was “making life difficult” for production and “trying to rule the roost” – something that show bosses have denied.
It came less than 24 hours after they denied claims she was about to quit the series, after Gemma was apparently left furious at comments made by ‘DOI’ host Holly Willoughby.
The presenter had called out her “unprofessional” behaviour after she and Phillip Schofield were informed she had left the studios before the end of Sunday’s live show.
However, Gemma’s professional partner Matt Evers spoke out to insist Gemma had actually been told she could leave by a member of the production team in a “miscommunication” error.
The GC later took to Instagram to insist there was no bad blood between her and Holly.