MTV denies asking stars to fight

MTV has denied reports that it encouraged reality show stars to brawl in a bid to boost ratings.

Earlier, a source told Page Six that the network had asked The City stars Whitney Port and Olivia Palermo to stage a catfight at their workplace of Diane von Furstenberg in New York.

"The girls were both really uncomfortable. Even though people think their jobs at DVF aren't real, both girls are really excited to be working in the fashion world, and wouldn't want to be seen getting into a fight in a professional setting," said the insider.

However, MTV executives have dismissed the rumour, insisting that they would never ask their stars to engage in physical fighting.

"On Friday we shot with Whitney and Olivia at DVF, during which time no physical altercation took place. We would never encourage our talent to engage in that type of negative behaviour," said the broadcaster in a statement.

The City, which is a spinoff of The Hills, will air on MTV1 from February 15.