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Dancing On Ice pro Matt Evers reveals Gemma Collins did Christmas special for free after apologising for behaviour on the show
12 January 2020, 18:00 | Updated: 12 January 2020, 18:01
Matt Evers has opened up about his former DOI partner Gemma Collins.
Dancing On Ice professional Matt Evers was finally back on our screens on Sunday evening, as he performed a landmark routine with former Steps stars Ian ‘H’ Watkins.
But while the pair impressed us all with their incredible dance, now Matt, 43, has opened up about his previous partner Gemma Collins.
The GC made it all the way to week six in 2019, but regularly came under fire following reports she turned up late to rehearsals and was rude to members of the cast and crew.
Joining us for a chat at Heart.co.uk, Matt revealed that Gemma, 38, has since apologised for her actions on the show and is determined to make up for her behaviour.
He told us: “I really appreciate the fact, a couple of weeks after the series came down last year she did apologise for some of her behaviour.
“She was honest, and she said ‘I was in a really uncomfortable place in my life, I didn’t quite know how to react to a live studio environment’. She was outside of her comfort zone.”
Touching on the rumours around the former TOWIE star’s conduct, he continued: “She apologised and said ‘I didn’t speak to you correctly a couple of times’ and for her behaviour a couple of times in the studio when she would show up late or she didn’t want to do something.”
He added: “She’s made up for it, she came back to the Christmas episode with us and she did that out of the donation of her own heart.
“She didn’t get paid to do it, she told our producers that she wanted to be in the show more because she has fallen in love with skating."
Gemma returned to the ice for the first time since competing in December, where she performed alongside former champion Ray Quinn.
Meanwhile, Matt and his new partner Ian or 'H', made history last week when they performed the first same-sex routine on the show.
And the dancing pro has since opened up about how important it is that the show is finally embracing diversity.
He said: “I wanted to make sure the routine wasn’t a circus, I didn’t want to do blades of glory. I wanted it to be a beacon of light.
“I wanted it to be about humanity and progression and about where we are in 2020. We see same sex partnerships in the street. I think that’s why it was so special for so many people in the UK and across the world.
“I think Ian going out there and nailing that performance struck a chord with so many people.”
We can't wait to see what else these two have planned!
