TOWIE’s most beloved alumni Joey Essex is trying his hand at ice skating on the current series of Dancing On Ice, and while it certainly marks a change from the peacocking around Essex that made him famous, it seems he’s got an extra incentive to do well in the form of his professional skating partner, Vanessa Bauer.
Vanessa made her Dancing on Ice debut back in 2019 when she was partnered with former Love Islander Wes Nelson, and quickly became embroiled in tabloid rumours when Wes split from his Love Island girlfriend Megan Barton Hanson whilst taking part in the competition.
Since coming runner up with Wes that year, Vanessa has landed second place twice more (with Perry Keily and Brendan Cole in 2020 and 2022 respectively). But it’s not just the pair’s moves on the ice which are making headlines this year, with Joey all but confirming they’re seeing how things go romantically, too.
Speaking to Ed Balls and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain after his debut on the Ice this weekend (21 January) Joey said, ‘I mean she’s a great partner. She is beautiful and she’s a lovely girl and we get on really well. It’s nice to be with someone who… we literally spend so much time together on the ice. It’s just nice to be happy.
‘The truth is, I’m single, Vanessa’s single, we go to the ice rink every day. It’s cold, you’ve got to keep each other warm, so that’s it really.’
Well, if that doesn’t sound like a blossoming new romance, we don’t know what does.
Joey did eventually confirm what he’d meant when he said, ‘We’re taking it slow, it’s all good.’
But Joey and Vanessa’s respectable score of 27 on Saturday was overshadowed by his fellow competitor Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu's routine with her pro partner Brendyn Hatfield, which was widely condemned by the usual culprits on social media as being ‘too sexy’ and ‘not appropriate for a family show.’
Quelle surprise.
Not one to stand for being slut-shamed, especially not by other women, Ekin told The Sun, ‘You know what? If you have ’em flaunt them. I mean if you’ve got a nice bum and you look sexy in a unitard, why not? Who cares?'