Former Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner has slammed the alleged “toxic culture” at ITV, after he was faced with a fiery confrontation in his dressing room.
The 51-year-old claimed Dancing on Ice producers previously threatened to throw him off the programme just hours before the show was about to air.
The popular series, which was hosted by Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, left Jason with a sour taste in his mouth after he claimed bosses cornered him in his dressing room after his feud with celeb skater Gemma Collins.
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And sharing his thoughts on the recent Phillip scandal, Jason said he hopes “the fish rots from the head” while stating that “toxic” people are still in control.
(Image: ITV)
Talking to The Sun, Jason claimed: “ITV has its Be Kind campaign and has made this big push for male mental health — but it’s all bulls**t.
“There was no consideration for my mental health, my well-being, what I was going through.
“The thing that is so distasteful to me is that I worked hard for them, I gave them great shows, and I know that I helped make that show a success.”
The star went on to state that he believes the “toxic culture will destroy itself”.
(Image: Jonathan Hordle/REX/Shutterstock)
Australian choreographer Jason became one of the original judges on Dancing On Ice when it first launched in 2006 and quickly became known for his witty and brutally honest critiques.
But following his on-air bust-up with former TOWIE star Gemma, Jason decided to quit the show in 2019.
The TV judge then went on to claim that the culture at ITV became “progressively worse” in his final three years on the show.
Jason claimed producers continued to encourage his “Mr Nasty” persona but then failed to support him when he was faced with backlash and controversy.
(Image: Matt Frost/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
He also claimed that TV executives wanted to protect the ITV brand over him.
Despite this, Jason said a lawyer pal told him he would have had a “strong defamation case” against Gemma if he was to take action against her.
Feeling unsupported by the broadcaster, Jason told producers he was considering potential action as they had rejected his requests for a statement.
However, he claimed things became heated in his dressing room when he was later approached by Katie Rawcliffe, the head of entertainment at ITV, and again by entertainment commissioner Siobhan Greene.
(Image: ITV)
At the time, Jason claimed that he was continuously asked whether he wanted to pursue legal action over the Gemma incident which he told them he would consider.
Due to feeling like he had no support, Jason said he decided to back down.
However, an ITV source disputed Jason’s claims and told MailOnline that the broadcaster “felt it would be inappropriate for him, as a celebrity judge, to be judging an individual contestant against whom he was pursuing a legal case”.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
