Dancing On Ice star Jayne Torvill has said she will ‘miss’ Jason Gardiner’s straight-talking.
Jason quit the show earlier this year with John Barrowman replacing him in 2020.
Jayne, one half of the British ice-skating icons Torvill and Dean, paid tribute to Jason at the TV Choice Awards.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk and other press at the TV Choice Awards, she welcomed John to the panel, saying: ‘I think he will bring some fair criticism. He might be quite harsh but I think he will explain it in a fun way.
‘I think we will miss Jason and his straight forward comments.’
She went on: ‘We worked with John in the first series and he was actually really quite good.
‘Growing up in Canada he had skated a little bit as a youngster. We had real high hopes for him but he went out maybe fourth week or something. Found himself in the skate off and I think he was a bit nervous and he
made a big mistake. I think he fell or something. So there was no way the judges could keep him in, so it was a shock he went out so early.
‘So it’s nice that he can come back even in a different capacity and be part of the show again.’
It was previously rumoured that ITV were looking to replace Jason in order to avoid a ‘bullying row’ in the wake of his on-air spat with Gemma Collins this year.
The Towie star accused Jason of ‘selling stories’ about her, while the choreographer branded Gemma lazy and dished out withering criticisms about her skating.
Dancing On Ice returns to ITV in 2020.
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