Dancing On Ice’s Max Evans has taken a swipe at Jason Gardiner before the first live show.
Rugby hunk Max is one of the 12 celebrity contestants on the new series of Dancing On Ice.
They’ll be performing for a new look ice panel made up of former coaches Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, returning judge Jason Gardiner and new face, Diversity dancer Ashley Banjo.
Ahead of his first performance, Max has suggested he’s not quite sure how he’ll take Jason’s advise.
He told The Sun newspaper: “See, I’ve got a big thing from my sporting background… when I was getting constructive criticism I had so much more respect for coaches that had been there and done it and knew what they were talking about.
“So getting criticism from Torvill and Dean, the best British skaters we’ve seen, give it to me, whatever.
“I hope Ashley’s going to be nice but Jason, have you experienced it? Where is this coming from? We’ll see.”
Jason has appeared on eight of the nine past Dancing On Ice series and has become well known for his blunt comments and harsh put downs.
Speaking ahead of the live shows, Jason said: “I am telling the truth. If they are clever and they don’t let their egos get in the way, they will see what I am saying is actually going to help and not destroy them. I am fair. If you look at the history of the show, I always have kept it real.
“If someone really moves me then I will tell them they have done an amazing job. I will give the credit when they deserve it. But I am not going to sit there on week two and say ‘it’s great you are trying’. I am not there to judge whether they are trying because everybody is trying. It is whether or not they are delivering. I am very impartial and I don’t have favourites.”
Discussing this year’s line up, Jason wouldn’t be drawn on any early favourites.
He said: “I don’t want to cast any expectations on anyone or predict that a person is going to be better for one reason or another. We have to be impartial and for me, they all have to be on an even playing field. I want to see them all when the viewers do and when they do it live. That for me is so exciting.
“I don’t care what they have done, what they look like and who they are. For me it is what they deliver on ice in their routines. I am not there to judge their careers. I am there to judge what I see. That is my style and I am not changing it. If they don’t give me the goods, I will tell them why.”
Dancing On Ice 2018 begins on Sunday, January 7 at 6PM.
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