Karen Barber begs DOI bosses not to sack Jason

Karen Barber has pleaded with 'Dancing on Ice' bosses to let Jason Gardiner keep his job, despite his recent jibes at her.

Although the acid-tongued judge sparked fury when he told the head coach - who was dropped from the judging panel for this series of the ITV1 show - her opinions didn't matter, she wants to put the entire incident behind her.

She reportedly told show bosses: "Don't fire him, I just want to move on."

However, Jason will not emerge unscathed from the incident, as a show insider has revealed producers are now planning to reinstate ice-skating expert Karen on to the panel for the next series, giving her a chance to respond to the 45-year-old judge on air in future.

A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Many people were upset by what Jason said and Karen was devastated. He made her sound like she was worthless on the show and that couldn't be further from the truth.

"This week there have been talks about giving Karen back her slot on the panel. As well as allowing her to respond to Jason more directly it would also mean that the judging panel had more actual skating experts on board.

"It would be a kind of victory for Karen in her row with Jason but also for the majority of viewers who seem to be on her side and really value her opinion."