Matt Evers: 'I had no idea Gemma would call out Jason Gardiner'

21 January 2019, 13:13 | Updated: 24 January 2019, 12:24

By Emma Gritt

@emmagritt

EXCLUSIVE: He had no idea Gemma was going to blast the Australian for "selling stories" live on air - but had warned her not to be "disrespectful" when it came to the judges' feedback.

Matt Evers claims he warned Gemma Collins "not to be disrespectful" ahead of her Dancing On Ice showdown with Jason Gardiner.

The pro skater, who is paired with The GC on the ITV show, exclusively told Heart that he had given the Towie star a pep talk before they took to the ice last night.

He said: "We discussed right before we went out to skate what we were gonna do to the judges comments and their reactions.

Read more: REVEALED! Where Gemma Collins 'vanished' to during last night's DOI

"I had to reiterate to her that you have to be careful when you're stood up there. You don't want to disrespect the people who have rightfully been put in that place.

"To be fair to her she did take Jason's comments on board in regards to the performance and the skating.

"When she went I was like 'oh god what are you going to say? Just be careful!'

Read more: Gemma Collins hits back after Holly Willoughby slates her live on This Morning

"You have to be careful when you're live on air that you don't end up looking silly."

However, he added that the war of words between the plus-size clothing designer and the Australian dancer was typical of Gemma.

He said: "It shocked me a little bit, but hey it's Gemma Collins and she loves the shock factor."

Read more: Matt Evers LOVES Holly Willoughby's joke about Gemma Collins

He added that he understands why Gemma went on the attack after the judge gave her a measly score of 3 for her Marilyn Monroe-inspired performance.

Jason, 47, compared the Essex diva to tragic Hollywood car crash Anna Nicole Smith - and Matt thinks it was just one step too far.

"He compared her to Anna Nicole Smith which I think its a little bit degrading. It's just not cool.

"There is a way to criticise someone constructively, and then there's just putting them down.

"I think she took it a little personal. That he was making fun of her as a human being."