Gemma Collins row with Jason Gardiner has gone down in Dancing On Ice history. (Image: ITV)
fans have witnessed everything from fiery spats and gruesome injuries to iconic television moments since the show first hit our screens on ITV in 2006. With the latest series now coming to an end, let’s glide back through time to some of the most explosive events that have befallen the stars and their professional skating partners over the years.
was a mainstay alongside from the inception of the show until his exit in May 2023. The ex- host stepped down from his ITV duties after confessing to an “unwise but not illegal” affair with a younger colleague. Phillip, 62, handed over presenting duties to Stephen Mulhern, who joined Holly on the ice last year.
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Phillip Schofield hosted Dancing On Ice from its inception in 2006. (Image: Getty)
Gemma Collins vs Jason Gardiner
In the 2019 series, TOWIE star Gemma Collins had her fill of Jason Gardiner’s biting critiques and called him out live on TV. Following his abrasive comments on her routine being devoid of elegance, Gemma retorted, accusing the adjudicator of leaking stories about her to the press.
Earlier in the week, Jason had said to the press that Gemma was “lazy” and “mediocre” and scathed after her performance: “There’s not enough skating. This is your second skate now. You need to up the ante. We’re not going to see big lifts from you. We’re not going to get any impressive moves.”
Gemma butted in and fumed: “Can I just say one thing? Maybe if you didn’t sell stories on me, I wouldn’t have been so upset this week. So take that! Boring, boring! Don’t sell stories on me.”
Jason fought back saying: “This doesn’t help your cause. It shows you’re just a brat. Listen to what we’re saying.”
had to try and stop the situation from getting “completely out of hand” and quickly handed over to Jayne Torvill to give her comments.
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Jason Gardiner branded Gemma Collins a “brat”. (Image: ITV)
Denise Welch/Tim Healy vs Jason Gardiner
Jason found himself in the firing line once again when he derided Loose Women panellist Denise Welch’s skating as “abysmal” and compared it to “watching two people play Twister”.
Denise’s then-husband Tim Healy was infuriated by the comments and leapt up in confrontation. The Benidorm actor marched up to the judge and got right in his face while Denise desperately called for him to sit down.
He exploded: “She’s 52 and she’s got four jobs! How many jobs have you got, eh?” Gardiner grimaced and batted away Tim with his hands, sneering: “Oh my God, your breath!”
Denise grimaced with her head in her hands, before quipping to shocked show hosts and Holly Willoughby: “It’s only the transvestite off of Benidorm!”
Tim Healy erupted at Jason Gardiner after criticism of then-wife Denise Welch. (Image: ITV)
Karen Barber vs Jason Gardiner
Once again, Jason found himself in hot water and even calls for him to be sacked after he insulted former DOI judge, Karen Barber. Karen, who had been coaching that year’s celebrities, was left in tears in 2011 when she felt the judges had marked soldier Johnson Beharry too low.
Gardiner hit back: “If your opinion still mattered you would be on the panel.” This hit a nerve with Karen and she furiously got up from her seat and stormed up to the Australian judge. Pointing her finger in his face, the former ice dancer demanded he repeat what he said.
Speaking through tears, she said: “You know Jason, you really are so offensive. You bring so little to this panel.”
Later in the programme, Jason offered somewhat of an apology, but Karen wouldn’t accept it and held her hands up to say she had heard enough and that Jason was a “nasty, nasty man”.
Karen Barber was left in tears over Jason Gardiner’s insult. (Image: ITV)
Bullying row
The 2020 series was shrouded in controversy after Caprice Bourret abruptly switched skating partners and eventually quit the show altogether over claims she had bullied her original partner Hamish Gaman.
There were conflicting reports about the exact reason behind Carpice and Hamish’s sudden split. Some suggested that Caprice felt Hamish was pushing her too hard, while others said she felt she had been a victim of “bullying”, which ITV denied at the time.
Her representative disclosed to the Daily Mail: “It’s true that Caprice is no longer participating in Dancing On Ice. It’s been a hard few months and she’s had to keep silent for contractual reasons. Her mental wellbeing has been affected over the last two months and recent stories leaked to the press are not only salacious but extremely hurtful. Now she’s taking some time to recover and look after herself and her family.”
Caprice quit Dancing On Ice on 2020. (Image: ITV)
Wince-inducing injuries
Dancing on Ice has been the scene of some jaw-dropping injuries over its run, including a hair-raising episode in 2012 when Jennifer Ellison accidentally sliced her head open with a scorpion kick during her act and medics rushed to halt the relentless bleeding.
In a spine-tingling practice disaster in 2021, Rebekah Vardy’s blade hit her colleague Andy Buchanan in the face, resulting in an urgent dash to A&E for professional care. Post the gruesome event, Rebekah shared how petrified she was, confessing: “It was quite scary. But it brings back the realisation that what we’re doing is really b***** dangerous.”
Rewind to the very first season, and who can forget the moment David Seaman’s headbanger with professional Pam O’Connor went disastrously wrong?
She suffered a severe fall and gashed her chin, requiring hospital stitches, yet showed immense courage as she and David made a comeback on the ice later in the contest. That dangerous move is now banned on the programme.