Dancing On Ice professional Hamish Gaman pulled out of appearing in Sunday night’s live show, after a difficult few months.
Hours before the show went live, Hamish explained to his fans on social media that he “could not face” taking to the ice this week, following “the worst” three and a half months of his life.
“I’m struggling,” he wrote. “It might look like things have been calming down, but they aren’t.
“Numerous defamatory articles have been stopped from running in the press over the past few weeks. These untrue stories are continually being fed to the press by a ‘source’.
“I’ve been told by various people where these articles and source quotes are coming from, and it’s clear they’re trying to destroy my reputation.”
Hamish continued: “It’s become relentless and I feel extremely vulnerable. I’m asking them to stop.
“I desperately want to move on from all this and focus on the skating. I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong, and was told by the team who reviewed all the rehearsal footage that I was an ‘exemplary pro’.”
In recent times, Hamish has been at the centre of several tabloid rumours, following the news that he and his celebrity Dancing On Ice partner Caprice had chosen to “part ways”.
Following this, Caprice was paired with a new addition to the show’s professional line-up, Oscar Peter, but ultimately chose to quit, revealing that being part of Dancing On Ice had begun to “affect her mental wellbeing”.
At the end of last month, Hamish spoke out about the matter for the first time, thanking his supporters and explaining: “Honestly, I’m not okay, but I’d like to thank Amelia [Humfress, his long-term partner], my pro family and ITV for doing all that they can to support me.
“I’m comforted knowing the truth always comes out in the end and I hope we can focus on the skating again now.”
Dancing On Ice airs every Sunday night at 6pm on ITV.
Useful websites and helplines:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.