'You're just a brat' - Jason Gardiner blasts Gemma Collins for 'Dancing on Ice' rant

Dancing on Ice felt more like an episode of The Only Way is Essex tonight as a bitter row erupted between Gemma Collins and Jason Gardiner.

The TOWIE star, who hit the headlines this week after apparently leaving last Sunday’s show early, accused judge Gardiner of selling stories about her, while he branded her a brat.

The GC has been calling for a public apology from hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield after they questioned her professionalism on their other show, This Morning, but it became clear that she was really on the warpath with Gardiner.

After receiving some low scores for her Marilyn Monroe-inspired routine, she said: “It’s been a hell of a week, it’s really knocked my confidence and I haven’t been able to get too much done I’ve been so upset.”

Gardiner told her: “Gemma, I know you were channeling Marilyn, but we ended up with Anna Nicole Smith. There wasn’t any elegance, she was a woman in control of her femininity, you were all over the place still, hun.”

Collins hit back: “Maybe if you didn’t sell stories on me I wouldn’t have been so upset this week, so take that,” while shouting, “boring, next,” over the rest of his comments.

Gardiner tried to reason with her: “This doesn’t help your cause. What it shows is that you’re just a brat.”

But outspoken Collins, known for her regular arguments on Towie, continued to shout him down with: “Don’t sell stories on me.”

Fellow judge Ashley Banjo began his critique by saying: “It’s great that you turned up and you’re here.”

Gardiner took his life in his hands by calling her lazy and complaining that “we celebrate mediocre in this country” earlier in the week.

Collins was also notably absent from the group of contestants at the end of the performances as Schofield and Willoughby talked them through their efforts.

But she managed to avoid the skate off, leaving Richard Blackwood and Saira Khan to battle it out with Blackwood being sent home – and viewers were not happy.

Fans were making obvious jokes about Collins’ late billing in the show’s schedule before she skated.

Elsewhere, this was musicals week on the show and we saw some performances that deserved rave reviews…while others looked like they should end their runs early.

Saara Aalto amazed the audience by belting out the chorus to Frozen’s Let It Go during her skate, James Jordan was a dramatic Phantom of the Opera despite a stumble, and Wes Nelson topped the leader board with a fast-paced routine inspired by Hairspray.

But Brian McFadden was in trouble with the judges for dropping his partner during their first lift, and Jane Danson was criticised for overthinking her performance.

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