Jason Gardiner is reportedly threatening to sue Gemma Collins for making false claims about him after the two became embroiled in a heated exchange on live TV.
The pair locked horns on Dancing on Ice, with Collins and her dance partner Matt Evers accusing the Australian judge of “selling stories” about her.
A source told The Sun: “Jason has made Gemma aware that he intends to sue her. He’s livid.
“He insists that all he did was give an interview to The Sun, where he was asked about lots of things, including Gemma.”
They claimed Collins has been left “very stressed about the idea of being sued” and is keen to “focus on her skating”.
A representative for Gardiner told Standard Online: “Gemma’s own skating partner Matt Evers has publicly apologised on Twitter for making the same false claims as Gemma that Jason ‘sold stories’.
“Jason gave an interview to promote Dancing On Ice with The Sun last week. Within this interview he was asked about Gemma Collins and all the contestants. He gave his opinion, that is all.”
Representatives for Collins have been contacted.
Collins lashed out at Gardiner on Sunday night’s show after he criticised her Marilyn Monroe-inspired routine for a lack of elegance and claimed she needed to “up the anti because we’re not going to see any big lifts from you we’re not going to get any impressive moves”.
The TOWIE star hit back: “Can I just say one thing? Maybe if you didn’t sell stories on me, maybe I wouldn’t have been so upset this week. So take that. Boring. Next. Don’t sell stories on me. Please don’t sell stories on me.”
Gardiner this week slammed Collins’ “appalling behaviour” as he thanked fans for their “love and support” in the wake of the fall out which saw him branded “unprofessional” and his comments “inappropriate” by Piers Morgan.
Collins’ professional partner Matt Evers later apologised to Gardiner for claiming he sold stories about Collins. He tweeted: “Always own up to your mistakes! I just want to say sorry to Jason as today on Heart FM I intimated he sold stories to a newspaper. I totally got my wires crossed and I apologise. It’s been one hell of a 24 hours!”
Dancing on Ice is on ITV, Sunday at 6pm
