Jason Gardiner has hit out at ITV, calling it 'toxic' and claiming Dancing on Ice producers threatened to kick him off the show just a few hours before they went live.
The Australian choreographer claimed that he had felt unsupported while working at television network, saying it had 'no consideration' for his mental health.
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The revelation has come in the wake of an on-screen row between the Dancing on Ice judge and former celebrity skater Gemma Collins, in which she accused him of selling stories about her.
He told The Sun: “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.
“I believe this toxic culture will destroy itself. This is opening Pandora’s box, and rightly so.”
He claimed a lawyer told him he had a 'strong defamation case' against Collins if he wanted to pursue it.
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Gardiner said: “I’ve skin as thick as a rhino but this accusation, live on air, was beyond the pale. They knew the facts, they knew it was a total lie but they decided - and this is what they told me - that they didn’t want to weigh in and make a statement because it would give it ‘gravitas’.
“They needed to protect the brand but no one cared about protecting me.
“I had a hellish two weeks. The vitriol that was launched against me... people were hurling abuse in the street. I have never felt so isolated.”
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In the end while preparing to go on air the following week, Gardiner claims that he was given an 'ultimatum' by producers where they implied he would be dropped from the show if he went forward with the case.
He added: “I said, ‘I haven’t been backed by ITV. You’ve left me high and dry here. I’ve been slandered across several platforms now’, because by then it had moved on to Loose Women and GMB, all these ITV presenters were jumping in on it."
The TV judge continued: “Shu [Siobhan Greene] said, ‘We need to know. Because we need to get a replacement if you’re going to move forward with what you want to move forward with'.
"And my mind was blown. I couldn’t believe it. It was highly pressured and stressful, I felt sick to my stomach. So I backed down because I had no support."
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However, ITV has disputed the claims.
In a statement, ITV said: “This was part of a wider conversation outlining the possible ramifications of legal action, and it was 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.
“This was no way intended to be seen as unsupportive, more a transparency about the process.”
Kit Roberts