Carty blasted by 'Ice' rival Underwood

Dancing On Ice star Michael Underwood has accused Todd Carty of misleading the show's viewers.

Fans of the ITV1 skating show have seen the former EastEnders actor struggling to master the skills required for the competition in recent weeks.

However, Underwood has now claimed that Carty is putting in poor performances deliberately because he wants to match the popularity of Strictly Come Dancing's John Sergeant, who was saved by viewers every week despite being slated by the programme's judges.

"Todd is nowhere near as bad as he is making out," Underwood told the Daily Star Sunday. "When the cameras are off he is gliding along the ice but then once the routine starts it's like he can't stay upright all of a sudden.

"He is definitely trying to play the clown and trying to fulfil the John Sergeant role."

TV host Underwood also admitted that he fears for the safety of Carty's professional dancing partner Susie Lipanova.

"Susie has actually talked about how worried she is about getting injured," he explained. "OK, Todd's clowning around is funny up to a point but she doesn't want to get dragged down with him if one of the silly stunts goes wrong.

"At the end of the day he might be having fun but this is her career and she feels she's taking a big risk skating with him."

Dancing On Ice continues at 7.00pm tonight on ITV1.