Jason Gardiner faces axe over Dancing on Ice row

Dancing on Ice judge Jason Gardiner faces the sack from the panel after making cruel comments about head coach Karen Barber. Jason sparked fury by sarcastically telling the head coach that her opinions 'did not matter', leaving her 'inconsolable' and in tears. His comments sparked outrage among fans, stars of the show and crew members, with the ITV having received almost 3,000 complaints asking him to be fired. Jason turned on the former judge Karen for trying to defend Johnson Beharry's dance, but he responded by saying: "If your opinions mattered you'd still be on the panel." ITV and Ofcom switchboards were then bombarded with complaints as well as fans launching an online petition and Facebook campaign to remove the judge from the show. Dancing on Ice host Phillip Schofield responded to the situation adding: "Normally I can defend Jason and he makes me laugh. Even when he's bad he makes me laugh, but I think he had more than a foot over the line there. "Karen's opinion is incredibly important because she sits with the skaters and works with them all week." According to The Mirror, an ITV spokesman confirmed bosses have spoken to Jason about his attack on Karen. He said: "The producers of Dancing on Ice have made it clear to Jason that this type of comment is unacceptable." Jason added: "I apologise for what I said to Karen and for any offence I caused." Watch Jason's comments about Karen Barber on last weekend's Dancing on Ice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJQqE5fZ9Wg

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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.