Gemma Collins claims 'Dancing on Ice' was harder for her without lifts

Gemma Collins has claimed she had a tougher time on Dancing on Ice than the other female celeb contestants, because she didn’t get to have a rest while being lifted by her partner.

The TOWIE star was eliminated in Sunday’s show after facing flak from the judges for not doing enough skating and not achieving what the other contestants had.

But Collins hit back, claiming she actually had a harder job than some of the more athletic contestants.

She told This Morning: “We all knew I was never going to be lifted. I did have to skate a lot more. I would have loved to have been spun around for a count of eight.

“But unfortunately, I had to skate through all my counts of eight, I was exhausted at the end of it. I was breathless, my legs were killing me.”

Collins admitted she did regret her row with judge Jason Gardiner when she accused him live on air of selling stories about her, but said she was hitting back against him body shaming her.

She explained: “Yeah (I do regret it), because he’s only there to do his job.

“I was fine with what he was saying about my skating, but I didn’t like it when he body shamed me and because that hurt and I felt embarrassed, I attacked back.”

Despite being booted from the show, Collins has vowed to continue working on her fitness after losing two and a half stone in training.

She said: “When I first started I had to do 10 minutes and sit down, 10 minutes and sit down. That was a massive eye opener to me. I didn’t realise how unfit I was.

“I will 100% keep up with the fitness because I feel so much better. I can do my shoes up. I’ll be honest, I had about three tyres round my middle and they’ve gone.

“I’m still a bigger girl but when I got on the scales I was shocked, because I’ve lost two and a half stone.”

She also added that Dancing on Ice had been character-building: “I’ve definitely learned a lot from the show. Never give up. It’s very easy for people to say no, I can’t do it, just give it a go like I did.

“I know I wasn’t the best skater, but I don’t think I was too bad either. The judges are looking for someone to skate the Bolero, it just wasn’t ever going to be me.”

The reality star took a nasty tumble on the ice during one routine and said she would have a long road to recovery.

“When I fell on the ice, I never felt the same ever again,” she said. “When I spoke to the physio, I’ve got a six month recovery on my knees. If you touch them, they’re boiling hot. It will take six months for them to start healing. The pain I was in, I was crying for days.”

Fans of the ITV skating show could spot Collins’ boyfriend James “Arg” Argent in the line-up next year as she told This Morning and Dancing on Ice hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield that she wanted him to sign up.

Asked whether he’d do it, she said: “Absolutely. I want him to do this. He really wants to get his fitness back, he’s been in recovery for six months now. This will be the next thing for him to get his health and fitness back.

“Please book him for the next series, because I want him to know everything I went through.

“He was my hardest taskmaster throughout the show.”

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