Following mounting rumours, Jason Gardiner has CONFIRMED that he will not be returning to Dancing On Ice for the 2020 series. Jason, who is well-known for his brutal honesty as a judge on the show, has taken to Instagram to announce his news and put rumours to bed.
In the video posted to Instagram, Jason - who had a well-publicised spat with 2019 contestant Gemma Collins - said, "After all these years I feel it's time for me to say goodbye to my judging role and return to things I have been putting on hold and have been on the back burner for a while.
"To all of my DOI fans I really thank you for your support and encouragement over the years, I know we've gone through some controversies and I'm glad you got my unique judging style and honestly."
RADIO Dancing on ice winners - slider with cover pic
1 of 11Think you can remember all the winners of Dancing On Ice? Let's see...
2 of 11Gaynor Faye, 2006
Emmerdale actress Gaynor Faye won the first ever series of Dancing On Ice alongside her professional ice skating partner Daniel Whiston, under the watchful eye of judges Robin Cousins, Karen Barber, Nicky Slater, Jason Gardiner and Karen Kresge.
3 of 11Kyran Bracken, 2007
Rugby player Kyran Bracken won the show - and the hearts of viewers - in the second series. Beating Clare Buckfield in the final showdown, Kyran won with his professional partner Melanie Lambert.
4 of 11Suzanne Shaw, 2008
Hear'Say singer Suzanne Shaw won the 2008 series with professional ice skater Matt Evers. Both of their final performances scored a perfect 30/30, which was the first time that had happened on the show, beating runner-up Chris Fountain.
5 of 11Ray Quinn, 2009
The X Factor star-turned-Broadway star Ray Quinn won the show in 2009 alongside his professional partner Maria Filippov. The couple beat out journalist Donal MacIntyre and his partner Florentine Houdinière with their final performance. He also won the returners' series in 2014.
6 of 11Hayley Tamaddon, 2010
Corrie and Emmerdale actress Hayley won with second-time winner Daniel Whiston, beating Hollyoaks star Gary Lucy to the top spot. She also made it to the final of the returners' show in 2014, finishing second to Ray Quinn.
7 of 11Sam Attwater, 2011
EastEnders' actor Sam Attwater won the coveted prize of first place in 2011 wth his partner Brianne Delcourt, beating TV presenter Laura Hamilton. The pair also returned for the 2014 series, but finished fourth.
8 of 11Matthew Wolfenden, 2012
Emmerdale actor Matthew Wolfenden won the 2012 series with his professional ice skating partner Nina Ulanova, beating fellow soap star Jorgie Porter to the top. This was also the year that Louie Spence joined the judging panel, if you remember...
9 of 11Beth Tweddle, 2013
Olympic champion gymnast Beth Tweddle won the 2013 series alongside her partner Daniel Whiston in his THIRD win on the show. She beat out EastEnders actor Matt Lapinskas and his partner Brianne Delcourt, and came third in the 2014 returners' series with Łukasz Różycki.
10 of 11Jake Quickenden, 2018
The X Factor and I'm A Celeb! runner-up Jake Quickenden finally won a reality show when he took part in Dancing On Ice in 2018 with his professional partner Vanessa Bauer, beating Coronation Street's Brooke Vincent - and she was NOT happy.
11 of 11James Jordan, 2019
James Jordan and Alexandra Schauman won 2019's trophy despite some fierce competition from Love Island's Wes Nelson and his partner, last year's winning professional Vanessa Bauer.Judges called their rendition of the famous Bolero "the best the show had ever seen" despite the first dance of the final failing to top the leader board. Early on in the 2019 competition, James was criticized for having an unfair advantage over the other contestants because of his extensive dancing experience.
He continued, "I know there has been a lot of speculation about me and the upcoming series of Dancing On Ice. I wanted to set the record straight, I've been an original judge since 2006.
"I've done every series except one, when I was replaced by my good friend and dance sister Louis Spence in 2012. The show had been off air for four years and when it was revived I was the only original judge to return.
"The past two series there have been new additions to the panel including the fantastic Ashley Banjo and the legends Torvill and Dean. I have absolutely loved sharing the panel with them," before confirming that he was leaving and thanking his fans for their support.
Fans were devastated that Jason would not be continuing on the show, and one wrote, 'Jason you’ll be missed very much but I’m glad you’re moving on to pastures new and can’t wait to come and see you. I heard you sing on one of your earlier threads and loved your voice so please keep singing,' whilst another added, 'You will be missed, it won’t be the same without you.'
Fans are now speculating over whether Jason's departure from the show could have something to do with his infamous spat with reality star Gemma Collins, who was a contestant on the show last year and accused Jason of "bullying" her.
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