'Jason Gardiner's a vindictive attention-seeker'
Dancing on Ice contestant Sharron Davies has responded with force to the revolting criticism of her dancing last weekend by judge Jason Gardiner. Gardiner described her routine as being 'like faecal matter that won’t flush. It goes around and around but doesn’t go anywhere'. He's since apologised after thousands complained about his comments made on the primetime ITV1 ice-skating show. But former Olympic swimmer Sharron told the Daily Mirror: "Jason’s taken a battering in the media and on websites, and I can’t say I’m too sorry. "We’re taking part in a family entertainment programme. Surely that’s not the place for crude and unconstructive comments? "Even by his standards he has taken his role of pantomime villain too far and now just seems determined to shock. We expect criticism from judges and are willing to listen. When they are vindictive and attention-seeking I think they are best ignored. "Incidentally, I notice Jason’s website is ‘temporarily unavailable’. Funny that." Mother of two Sharron continued: "To describe me in the way he did when I have two children, as I had already mentioned after the tree comment, this is probably what bothers me the most. "His answer to that was, ‘Get a grip’. Amazing, eh? I hear he’s looking to foster. Well, I’m not sure he understands what makes a good parent if that’s his answer." Sharron is determined to continue in Dancing on Ice despite suffering a shoulder injury.
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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.