DANCING On Ice’s new recruit Amy Tinkler quit being an Olympic gymnast after claiming she was 'fat-shamed' by her coach.
The Olympian, 21, from Bishop Auckland in Durham, was brought into ITV's ice-skating series after Denise Van Outen backed out.
Denise, 46, had no choice but to depart from the show after suffering a painful shoulder injury, leaving her in a sling.
But Amy only signed up to the dazzling competition – where she'll skate with pro Joe Johnson – after a departure of her own.
She sensationally quit professional gymnastics last year – following a row over alleged fat-shaming comments from head British Gymnastics coach Amanda Reddin.
Gymnastics star Amy was just 16 when she won bronze on the floor at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
But in January 2020, Amy announced she was retiring from professional gymnastics for good.
Many assumed Amy’s early retirement was due to injury, as she’d had several surgeries performed on her ankle.
Though she dispelled the rumour in July, explaining in a social media statement that she retired because of her “experiences as a club and elite gymnast.”
She revealed that she had made an official complaint in December 2019 about her experiences – with Amanda Reddin and separately at her former club, South Durham – which she said she would give up her Olympic medal to not have gone through.
Amy said that she was “terrified” of Amanda, was called “fat” and described being put under pressure to lose more weight than necessary.
She told the Daily Mail: “I was terrified of her. She has a presence and nothing's good enough for her. The weight stuff started from her when I about 13. She was obsessed.
“I would suck my tummy any time I saw her. If you lost weight, she wanted you to lose more. I get that we need to monitor our weight, and there was the odd time where I'd sit down [with the nutritionist] and could do with losing a little bit, but with Amanda, it would be said even if everyone else was happy with my weight.
“I remember when I was 15, the cleaners found sweet wrappers in our rooms, and she [Reddin] sat seven or eight of us down in the gym… she was saying, 'You girls have similar bodies to the Americans but they look muscly and you guys just look fat’.”
Amy described being told to eat sweets in front of teammates so they would know who to “blame” for underperforming.
She also claimed she was weighed at the start of every training camp at Lilleshall – which prompted her to stop eating the afternoon before, sometimes drinking nothing but lemon juice.
An independent review of these and other allegations took place in August 2020, all of which coach Amanda strongly denied.
Reddin said: "I completely refute these claims, it is wrong that my reputation within the sport that I love is now subject to a trial by media rather than through the proper processes.
“I would welcome the allegations be submitted to the independent review into alleged abuse in gymnastics to ensure the integrity of the process is protected for both athletes and coaches.”
Reddin also specifically addressed stepping aside for the review to take place at a later date.
A statement read: “In August, I agreed with British Gymnastics to temporarily step aside from my role to allow an investigation to proceed into claims about my conduct. The investigation is being completed by an external independent expert.
“I am keen for this to conclude and will be fully supportive by submitting all relevant information and evidence I have in response to these allegations.”
British Gymnastics said at the time: “The incidents recounted by Amy are completely unacceptable in our sport.
"Investigations are already underway into a number of these claims. These allegations, and any additional information Amy wishes to submit, will be provided to the relevant investigations.”
Later in August 2020, Amy fumed on Twitter when she found out the review of her specific complaints against Amanda Reddin had been dropped.
Amy wrote in an update: “On Friday, and only in response to media pressure, I was emailed informing me that my complaints had been dealt with and the matter closed,” she wrote on Twitter.
“The way I received this information made me sick. It reinforced mine and every gymnasts’ fear, which is that their complaints aren’t dealt with fairly and independently.
“This is why we don’t speak up. This is why we suffer in silence. We know that to speak up is a pointless, career-ending task.”
And in September 2020, Amy released bombshell 2017 emails sent by another national coach, Colin Still, in which he appears to write that Amy looks “a little heavy.”
Another 2017 email, said to be from Colin, read: “I will get back to my skiing knowing that Amy is not turning into a fat dwarf!”
She told ITV News the email had left her in tears.
A fresh investigation regarding the emails was announced at the end of September.
Though the 21-year-old wrote on social media that she did not want to make matters public.
She penned on Twitter: “Please know that I hate doing this in public, it’s unfair on me, and on the people I’m going to talk about, but I don’t see that I’ve been given any other choice.
“The top people at British Gymnastics haven’t shown any empathy or desire to acknowledge change so it’s time their behaviour is shared in public.”
In October, a spokesperson for British Gymnastics said: “A coach should not be speaking in this way about a gymnast.
“We have immediately begun an investigation into this matter.
“We have contacted Amy Tinkler to ask for the original emails from 2017 and other relevant information to aid that investigation.
“We have checked all available records and cannot find reference that we have previously had a complaint about these comments.”
Also in October, Colin Still said of Amy’s various allegations: “I feel genuinely devastated if any comments I made have hurt Amy or any other gymnasts.
“I do not recall or have record of making these comments attributed to me two years ago. An investigation is ongoing which I fully support and will be submitting all relevant information.”
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