Meet Joey Essex: Dancing on Ice 2023 contestant and reality star
The TOWIE favourite is taking on his latest reality TV challenge.
Joey Essex has been impressing the Dancing on Ice judges with his routines with professional skater (and 2018 winner) Vanessa Bauer, as the current season of the skating show continues.
He's just one of the eleven contestants to make up the original Dancing on Ice 2023 line-up, and has been giving it his all to impress the judges Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean, Ashley Banjo and Oti Mabuse with his skating prowess.
Before appearing on the series Joey Essex had already become a reality TV favourite, having made his debut on our screens in TOWIE more than a decade ago and subsequently cropping up on a whole range of shows.
Joey has said that Dancing on Ice presents a more “serious” challenge than any he has previous faced, but who is Joey and what else has he said about appearing on the show? Here’s everything you need to know.
Who is Joey Essex?
Age: 32
Job: Reality star
Instagram: @joeyessex
Twitter: @joeyessex_
Paired with: Vanessa Bauer
Joey joined The Only Way Is Essex in 2011 (with a surname like his, it was surely destiny). He initially appeared as a supporting cast member, featuring in scenes with cousin Chloe Sims and then-girlfriend Sam Faiers, and proved such a hit with viewers that he was promoted to a lead the following year.
However, other reality shows soon came calling, and Joey left TOWIE behind in 2013 (but not before he managed to release a single based around his catchphrase, Reem).
He went on to appear in celebrity diving contest Splash!, hosted by Tom Daley, as well as the 2013 season of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! (where he eventually came in fourth place), The Jump and Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
He has taken part in E4’s Celebs Go Dating a handful of times, most recently appearing in Celebs Go Dating: The Mansion in 2021.
Joey also presented the moving BBC Three documentary Joey Essex: Grief and Me in 2021, which saw the star address the impact of losing his mother when he was just 10 years old.
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What has Joey Essex said about joining Dancing on Ice 2023?
Joey reckons that, having “done all the dating shows in the world”, he is now ready for a challenge that's “a bit more serious”.
“I’d like to say I’ve matured, I’ve grown up,” he told This Morning last year. “I think [at] this stage in my life, I’m so ready for something like this. I just know, I just feel it.
“I’m just ready for the commitment. It’s not an easy thing to do. It’s five and a half months' work.”
He added that he wants “to fall in love with the ice”. We’ll have to wait and see whether his wish comes true.
Dancing on Ice 2023 airs on ITV1 and ITVX at 6:30pm on Sundays. To find out what’s on telly tonight, check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Entertainment hub.
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