The wit and wisdom of The Jump champion Joey Essex
“The less I listen, the more I learn”
Reality star Joey Essex emerged triumphant from last night’s The Jump final, clutching a new cowbell and a victory over Mike Tindall.
He'd never skied before the winter sports-themed competition so it’s quite an achievement. We caught up with the elated winner this morning and he shared, in true Joey Essex style, the tales of his Austrian antics…
On training…
“The less I listen the more I learn… I listen a little bit to understand the points, but the more I listen to myself and believe in myself [it’s better] than someone else telling me what to do.”
On suffering ‘helmet hair’ on the slopes...
“That was a big problem. My hair always looked pretty messy on set. There were hairdressers there, but there was nothing they could do, man, that helmet just ruined my hair. I didn’t like my hair the whole time, but it was all worth it in the end.”
On whether he’ll now have a bash at being an athlete…
“Maybe I could enter the Olympics next year or something.”
The secret to beating athletes Mike Tindall and Louise Hazel...
“I had too much confidence and they had too much fear. I think they were thinking ‘he can beat me’ rather than concentrating on what they’re good at.”
On probably/definitely sticking with winter sports...
“I’ll probably, definitely, 100% will go skiing and try snowboarding again.
On injuries...
“This is the only day I’ve woken up and thought, ‘I’m not going to have an injury today’. Where I was pushing myself to the limit everyday I was waking up thinking, ‘Where is it going to be today?’ or ‘What is it going to be today?’ I had that thought every single morning, without a doubt.
“It’s a scary show. Very dangerous and scary show.”
On whether he’s upset the royals by beating Mike Tindall...
“I hope not! Zara [Phillips] looked really happy to me. She knew I needed to get my own back and beat him,” Essex says with reference to Tindall taking him out of during the show’s new rather violent Snow Cross event.
On the possibility of launching his own ski gear range...
“I’ve always called myself ‘Ski man’ since I was a kid. Me and my friends used to call each other ski men. It was like calling each other a cool person. We used to walk around with ski goggles on. It’s really weird. We used to go to the shopping center with ski goggles on and everyone used to look at us like, ‘What are they doing?’ So, maybe my own ski goggles.”
On what his career as a reality show star holds next...
“I don’t think I could do anything more dangerous than this. So, if I can take on The Jump and win it, I can take on anything right now.”
On whether his new friendship with Louise Thompson could earn him a guest spot on Made In Chelsea...
“I don’t think they’d let me. They wouldn’t understand my accent.”
And finally, on those tight, bright outfits…
“I’ve actually kept my lycra. It weren’t the comfortablist outfit, I’ll tell you that, but it’s something I’ll keep forever.”
See Joey tonight in Educating Joey Essex: Supermodel Student 9:00pm on ITV2
