DANCING On Ice star Caprice Bourret has been branded a “diva and lazy” by show insiders, who say she and professional dance partner Hamish Gaman grew to “hate each other”.
The Sun Online can reveal that the couple endured weeks of rising tensions behind the scenes which led to them being unable to work together any longer.
Viewers were left baffled last night when it was announced that the 48-year-old would not be skating after “parting ways” with Hamish – and no further explanation was offered.
Now sources close to the skating duo have shed some light on the situation, revealing there was a huge break down in their relationship starting from the moment they met.
Caprice, who is an American model and businesswoman, had initially expressed an interest in skating with Hamish but unfortunately things turned sour very quickly.
An insider revealed exclusively to The Sun Online: “Caprice was mean to Hamish during rehearsals - it was often in front of other cast and crew - and he was left very upset by it because he's such a professional and a gentle giant.
“Hamish was walking on egg shells a lot of the time - he felt Caprice seemed to struggle with the demands of the show and described her as a bit of a diva because she would tell him off a lot and just generally thought she was above it all."
“She was also reluctant to put in the hours or effort which led to tensions between them.
“Hamish found it difficult dealing with her, but he wasn't the only one - Caprice isn't well-liked backstage.
"It's a shame as Hamish is very popular and all of his other celebrity partners have always loved him because he's so kind and patient."
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They continued: “Things got so bad between the pair that everyone could see they were really starting to hate each other.
“There was one final row and they both exploded - Caprice refused to get on the ice again with him again.”
Yesterday’s shock announcement came just hours after the Caprice admitted that her fiery temperament meant that she could clash with other stars backstage in a new interview.
She emerged today looking downcast with her husband Ty Comfort, who had initially been unhappy about his wife doing the show – fearing she would run off with her pro partner.
An ITV spokeswoman said: “We do not recognise these claims. These suggestions absolutely do not reflect the good characters of either Hamish or Caprice, from whom we have seen hard work and commitment."
Caprice and Hamish made their debut on the show last week, landing second place on the leader-board with 25.5 points out of 40 after dancing a routine to Lewis Capaldi's Some You Loved.