Dancing On Ice professional skater Hamish Gaman has pulled out of Sunday’s show, saying that he has been “struggling” over the last few months.
Gaman, who was paired with Caprice Bourret on the ITV show before they parted ways, said that “untrue stories” about him have been shared by an unknown source, and that he “couldn’t face” appearing on the programme.
Following their split, Gaman has continued to work on the show and model and businesswoman Bourret returned to the ice with new partner Oscar Peter.
However, she quit the series earlier this month.
I’m sad to say that I’ve pulled out of appearing on @dancingonice tonight.#DancingOnIce ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Y2XzA3Of2n
— Hamish Gaman (@HamishGaman) February 16, 2020
Gaman wrote on Twitter: “I’m sad to say that I’ve pulled out of appearing on Dancing On Ice tonight.
“The past three-and-a-half months have been the worst of my life, and I’m struggling. It might look like things have been calming down, but they aren’t.
“Numerous defamatory articles have been stopped from running in the press over the past few weeks. These untrue stories are continually being fed to the press by a ‘source’.
“I’ve been told by various people where these articles and source quotes are coming from, and it’s clear that they’re trying to destroy my reputation. It’s become relentless and I feel extremely vulnerable. I’m asking them to stop.”
Gaman added: “I desperately want to move on from all of this and focus on the skating. I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong, and was told by the team who reviewed all the rehearsal footage that I was an ‘exemplary pro’.
“I can only hope that this will all be over soon. I’m so sorry to not be on the ice tonight, but I couldn’t face it.
“Thank you for your support and kind messages.”
The reason for Gaman and Bourret’s split is unknown.
Confirming her departure from the series earlier this month, Bourret’s publicist Billie Dee Gianfrancesco said: “It’s true that Caprice is no longer participating in Dancing On Ice.
“It’s been a hard few months and she’s had to keep silent for contractual reasons.
“Her mental wellbeing has been affected over the last two months and recent stories leaked to the press are not only salacious but extremely hurtful.
“Now she’s taking some time to recover and look after herself and her family.”
Dancing On Ice continues on ITV at 6pm on Sunday.