Gemma Collins tried on multiple occasions to step down from Dancing On Ice, her skating partner Matt Evers has revealed.
It’s been well-documented that Gemma had a particularly tumultuous time on the show, falling out with judge Jason Gardiner, falling flat on her face on the ice and repeatedly having to shoot down reports of “diva” behaviour behind the scenes.
Having now left the competition for good, after the latest public vote, Gemma’s professional partner Matt has admitted that getting her to stay in the contest was occasionally an uphill battle.
He told Heart Radio: “There were quite a few times that I thought she was going to walk. Three or four times I thought ‘this could be it’.
“I always had to talk her down. If it wasn’t her nerves it was something else.”
Matt continued: “There was a lot of conversation between us. A lot of 2am text messages saying ‘you can do this’.”
During the interview, Matt also confessed his “relief” that he and Gemma had been sent home after their first time in the skate-off, with the former TOWIE star already having made similar comments during Sunday’s live show.
“I just want to bow out gracefully now,” she said. “It’s time to let them all go on. I wish them all the best of luck. They work so hard.“
Seven celebrities remain in Dancing On Ice after Gemma’s elimination, with former Strictly Come Dancing performer James Jordan topping the leaderboard for the last two weeks in a row.
Dancing On Ice continues on Sunday night at 6pm on ITV.