Jason Gardiner escaped DOI punishment

Jason Gardiner escaped punishment from his 'Dancing On Ice' bosses over his cruel remarks to head coach Karen Barber.

The acid-tongued judge outraged viewers after he told the ice-skating expert her opinion no longer mattered because she'd been dropped from the panel, but ITV1 bosses took his side and instead reprimanded Karen because she spoke about the row in public.

He said: "My job has never been in question. I adhered to the demands of the bosses not to speak. But Karen did go public.

"That was a big slap in all our faces. It was overstepping the mark for which she was reprimanded."

However, Jason did admit he felt guilty about the way he spoke to Karen, adding to the News of the World newspaper: "She seems very sensitive about her new role as head coach so that's why I wasn't proud of what I said."

While Jason insists he wasn't told off by bosses, ITV claim he was spoken to about his behaviour.

A spokesman told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Jason was spoken to by the show's producers about his comments and it was made clear to him that what he said was unacceptable."