Gemma Collins has slammed reports she faked her epic tumble on Dancing on Ice, claiming she “blacked out” seconds before hitting the floor.
Collins, 37, was skating to Celine Dion with Matt Evers when she appeared to stumble before face planting the ice on Sunday night’s live show. Evers rushed to get her to her feet before the pair wrapped up their routine.
Viewers later accused Collins of faking the fall, branding it a “publicity stunt” after a slow motion video started to circulate on Twitter.
Collins has since broken her silence, telling The Sun: “It definitely wasn’t faked, one million per cent. If they knew the pain I am in with my knee, they would understand.
Devastated: Gemma Collins hit the ice hard (Matt Frost/ITV/Rex)Rex Features“I didn’t fall, I passed out. I was just going and then, next thing, on the ground. What is scary is my teeth could have been smashed out.
"It was so weird. I don’t think I tripped, I think I blacked out.”
Collins said she was warned by medics on the show to not skate after complaining of chest pains minutes before her performance.
“I was wired up to machines before going on the ice, with two medics out the back, and they were giving me glucose tablets and getting Lucozade brought,” she said.
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"The medic lady was like, ‘Look, you’re not right, you’re not 100 per cent right’. But I said, ‘I’ve got to go on and do it. I can’t not do it’.”
A Dancing on Ice spokesperson told Standard Online: "The safety and welfare of our contestants is of primary concern to us and no one performs on the ice without medical clearance.”
Collins received her highest score ever for the routine, finishing on 16.5 ahead of next week’s show. Despite no further spats with judge Jason Gardiner, the Australian choreographer appeared to reignite their feud after liking a string of tweets which referred to Collins as “vile” and suggested her fall was “karma”.
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Collins was left in tears after the tumble and later showed off her knee bruises on Instagram.
The reality star, who was yesterday being pushed in a wheelchair by her boyfriend James ‘Arg’ Argent, eased the pain with six brandies and a curry.
Despite claiming the fall has made her lose her independence, Collins vowed to return to the ice this weekend.
Dancing on Ice is on ITV, Sunday at 6pm