Jason Gardiner thinks some of the celebrities on ‘Dancing on Ice’ will get the boot because the choreography their professional partner has given them isn’t up to scratch.
The 46-year-old show judge – who is known for his acid tongue – shocked the nation last weekend when he told Lemar’s partner Melody Le Moal that the routines she was giving the singer weren’t good enough and were the reason he’s ending up in the skate off.
And, although his remarks almost reduced the professional skater to tears, Jason still stands by his argument and has urged the athletes to up their game in the competition.
Speaking on ‘Loose Women’ on Friday (26.01.18), Jason – who sits on the panel alongside Ashley Banjo and Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean – said: "I do because if you imagine as a choreographer and a dancer, I could never talk about the choreography, and you know, Jayne and Chris are exceptional.
"They did make you all look phenomenal and hats off to them. To be able to do all of that, the workload must have been immense for them but they always delivered.
"What I see now is some can choreograph and some really can’t. And that’s a shame for some of the celebrities because you’re only as good as the content you are given.
"And I think I said that last week, I made that very, very clear. So it’s great that the competition isn’t just between the celebrities but also the pro skaters."
When asked whether the professional skaters are more competitive now than they were in the previous years, Jason revealed that if they weren’t "they should be".
He said: "If they’re not, they should be. It does make a huge difference. If you don’t step up with the choreography and give the celebrates something great for them to look good doing but also to affect us watching, then they are just going to disappear."