UPDATE: ‘Dancing On Ice’ Bosses Clarify Claims Gemma Collins Is Quitting Over Holly Willoughby Comments
‘Dancing On Ice’ presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have called out contestant Gemma Collins for her lack of professionalism after she left the studios before the end of Sunday’s live show.
Backstage reporter Kem Cetinay revealed the ‘TOWIE’ star decided to skip the ending after becoming “a bit bored” during filming.
Speaking to Holly and Phil on Monday’s ‘This Morning’, he said: “We went into the live show, and then the last quarter of the show, she went home.
“Well I didn’t know she went until after but then we saw this video and I was thinking, I don’t know where Gemma is and I went to her dressing room and she wasn’t there. So I did speak to her after and she said she was a bit bored, but she does love skating.”
Reacting to her behaviour, Holly and Phil were less than impressed, calling for her to have “more pride” in her work.
Holly said: “The thing is I really love Gemma, you know I’m a big fan of Gemma’s and I think she’s great on the show I do, but I think there has to be a bit of professionalism that comes into any work you do, just a bit of pride in your work.”
A visibly annoyed Phil then added: “In all the years I’ve been in television, I have never kept a studio waiting.”
Kem tried to reason her actions, saying: “I think, she says it’s not Gemma Collins, that’s The GC.”
But Holly was having none of it, adding: “But then that’s absolute rubbish, that’s just a really good excuse to get away with stuff you don’t want to do. I love that side of her, I do love it, but I do think professionalism will always outweigh that diva behaviour.”
HuffPost UK has contacted a ‘Dancing On Ice’ spokesperson for comment and is awaiting a response.
Holly and Phil aren’t the only ones to have called out Gemma’s diva behaviour, however, as eliminated contestant Mark Little also stuck the boot into her, admitting he was “gobsmacked” by her carry-on.
Gemma hadn’t performed with her partner Matt Evers during Sunday’s show, but had taken to the ice as part of a group performance with the other celebrity skaters who took part in week one of the competition.
Earlier in the show, viewers had seen her arrive unapologetically late for training for the routine in a VT.
She is due to perform for a second time on Sunday’s show, with hopes the routine can top her iconic skating debut.
‘Dancing On Ice’ airs Sundays at 6pm on ITV.