Gemma Collins has cried "a million and one times" during her 'Dancing on Ice' training.

Gemma Collins

Gemma Collins

The former 'The Only Way Is Essex' star admitted that she has found perfecting her routines for the show "mentally and physically" draining but praised her professional partner Matt Evers for keeping her motivated.

Speaking to BANG Showbiz and other media at the 'Dancing on Ice' launch at London's Natural History museum, she said: "Let's be honest, it's been really hard. Possibly the hardest thing any of us have ever done. It's been so hard, mentally and physically tiring, but it's been amazing.

"I've cried a million and one times. Just because you want to do it and then you get frustrated. You have to chip away at it. We've been doing two hours every day all of us, and it's been amazing.

"Me and Matt hit it off since we first met. He's come over for dinner and sleepovers."

When asked if she's worried about people assuming she might quit the show, Gemma - who previously walked off 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!' in 2014 after just three days - said: "Yeah probably, but to be honest it's all good TV. It's about the GC, it's about the drama. Is she/ isn't she? I've got a fighting spirit on this show. Everyone is doing so well."

Gemma, 37, has previously promised to make her 'Dancing on Ice' critics eat their words, claiming that people are expecting her to fail miserably on the show.

She said: "Everyone thinks I'm the fat joke on the show but whatever's going to happen in my life, I can do this. And I'm going to prove every f****r out there wrong. People will be eating their words."

Gemma said she is already feeling the benefit of her skating experience, revealing she's lost a significant amount of weight thanks to the demands of skating.

She said: "There's still a little bit of excess fat there, but I am so much more toned."

'Dancing On Ice' starts on ITV on Sunday, January 6.