Gleeful Gemma Collins labels Jason Gardiner's 'Dancing on Ice' exit 'karma'

Gemma Collins has had the last laugh over her Dancing on Ice spat with Jason Gardiner, saying “karma is a beautiful thing” of his exit from the show.

The Towie star admitted she was absolutely delighted to hear that Gardiner had left the ITV show’s judging panel and was being replaced by TV and theatre’s John Barrowman in the 2020 series.

Read more: Dancing on Ice’s confirmed 2020 celebs so far

According to The Mirror, Collins said at the launch of weight-loss injection SkinnyJab: “I’m glad (he’s gone). There’s having a laugh and there’s taking it too far.

“Karma is a beautiful thing, and John Barrowman is now filling his boots. So see you later, honey! Next!

"Boring. There’s criticism, and there’s calling someone a fridge. He was referring to my body size.”

Collins was a controversial contestant in the 2019 series of Dancing on Ice, where she faced accusations of shirking on training and suffered a dramatic fall during one routine.

But her most memorable moment from her turn on the ice was an on-air row with Gardiner during judging, where she accused him of selling stories about her in the press.

Read more: John Barrowman to replace Jason Gardiner as ice judge

The TV judge, known for his harsh criticism of celebrity contestants, had also upset Collins with jokes about her appearance and had likened her to a refrigerator when speaking about her on This Morning.

Earlier this year, Gardiner announced that he would be leaving the ice panel after 10 series - he had a break for one year in 2012 - and Torchwood and I’m a Celebrity star John Barrowman was announced as his replacement.

Collins also joked that she got on well with Barrowman and wondered whether she might get a judging panel call up if show bosses had “a mad moment”.

So far, celebrities confirmed for the 2020 series include Ian “H” Watkins from Steps, Joe Swash, Michael Barrymore, and Love Island’s Maura Higgins.