Emily Atack accused of fling with married Dancing On Ice star Fred Palascak

I’M A Celebrity star Emily Atack was accused of having a fling with a married ice dancer.

She grew close to Fred Palascak, her partner on Dancing on Ice, below — infuriating his wife, who was also on the show.

A source said jungle beauty Emily, 28, was “obsessed with Fred”.

The dramatic showdown came at a wrap party for hit show Dancing on Ice.

Emily — who is now an I’m A Celebrity star — was accused of cosying up to her American pro dance partner Fred Palascak.

Witnesses told how his wife Mel Lambert — a dancer on the same show — also confronted Emily about her infatuation with her husband.

A source said: “At the party, Emily was a little tipsy and very flirtatious.

“Mel had seen enough and told Emily to leave her husband alone.

“Mel then turned to Fred and said ‘me or her’. He chose his wife.

"Emily left in tears with her mum. This was in front of everyone, it was very public, and a very awkward situation all round.”

Emily, who was then aged 20 and best known for playing Charlotte Hinchcliffe in TV comedy The Inbetweeners — was said to have been left devastated.

The row was the talk of the ITV1 hit’s fifth series in 2010.

An insider said: “Emily was obsessed with Fred. It was very uncomfortable for everyone to see.

“Emily was young and very sexy, wearing figure-hugging dresses and there was real electricity between her and Fred. He was the most handsome man on the set.

“But Emily made a scene and eventually Mel couldn’t avoid what happened. There was a showdown and Emily lost out on what she thought could have been the love of her life.”

Pin-up Fred, then 35, and Mel were dropped from the next series despite being popular with viewers.

Emily had struck up a close rapport with Fred despite Mel being around as the pro dance partner of Boyzone singer Mikey Graham.

A source working on the show said: “In pre-show meetings Emily developed a massive crush on Fred.

“She was young and excitable and couldn’t hide her feelings.

“Fred wasn’t exactly fighting it off and by the January when the show began airing lots of people on set thought they were an item on and off screen.

“Emily followed Fred around like a puppy and fawned over him.

“She was always hanging off his arm or stroking him in areas like the canteen or the side of the stage.

“She was flirting loudly and giggling at him all the time. Despite the awkwardness among the crew, insiders told how Mel initially ignored the gossip, and dismissed Emily’s behaviour as a “silly teenage crush”.

There were claims on the set that a runner had caught Emily and Fred in a compromising “clinch” in a dressing room.

In February 2010, the two were said to have been spotted chatting to each other intimately in a London nightclub. They were pictured leaving the venue together.

A source said: “Everyone at the show — staff, skaters and production crew — were talking about what was going on and it was excruciating for Mel.”

A week later, Emily, was heartbroken after being dumped from the competition following a dance-off with Danniella Westbrook.

She performed her dance to The Crystals’ Da Doo Ron Ron, and was lifted in a daring helicopter spin above Fred’s head.

That night, her frustration boiled over when she was pictured in tears shouting at a taxi driver who reversed near her outside Elstree Studios, Herts.

Emily and Fred later attended the show’s wrap party at Elstree where Mel delivered her ultimatum.

There followed a four-week Dancing On Ice tour in April and May.

The insider said: “It was incredibly awkward. Mel mainly performed with Fred, and Emily did one small routine with him.

“Overall they kept their distance. It created real tension on the tour.”

Fred, now 43, began skating with Mel, 44, in 1994. They married in 2003 and have a baby son.

Last night a friend defended Emily, who once had an affair with Strictly Come Dancing love rat Seann Walsh.

The pal said: “Emily is warm, hilarious and brilliant company.

“She is also a very different girl to the one of eight years ago. She will be absolutely mortified that this has come to light.

"Nowadays she’s a real girl’s girl, so anything like this horrifies her.

“Even when it came to her fling with Seann Walsh, once Emily found out he had lied and was actually in a relationship, she was devastated and immediately ended it.

“Today, she 100 per cent puts friends before men and her focus now is her family and career, which is set to launch massively post-jungle.

“These are exciting times, and Emily wants to focus on the future now.”