Joey Essex's romance with Dancing on Ice partner Vanessa Bauer was all but confirmed by the show's host Holly Willoughby, after she asked him a very leading question live on Sunday night's show.
One of ITV's biggest TV hits from the last 20 years, Dancing on Ice returned for a new series this weekend, with Holly once again taking the reins alongside her This Morning co-presenter Phillip Schofield. TOWIE favourite Joey was one of six celebs to make his skating debut on Sunday's launch show, performing alongside Vanessa, a former winner of the show, to classic track Mack the Knife.
The couple got a very respectable 27 out of 40 for their first skate and, after the judges had given their scores, Holly tried to dig for gossip, when she asked Joey: "It would be fair to say you're really enjoying this partnership aren't you?" Pausing for a few seconds, Joey replied: "Well yeah, I mean... she's easy on the eye," as Holly told him: "Yes she is an she's an excellent skater!"
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Holly's grilling of Joey came after he was seen asking for Vanessa's number in a teaser for the new series, as well as plenty of rumours about their apparent romance in the press.
Holly wasn't the first TV star to dig for answers from Joey this week. When he appeared as a guest on Lorraine a few days earlier, the Scottish host told him: "So of course, everybody says you're going out. That is what they say all the time."
Joey responded: "Lovely girl. What? The tabloids? I mean she's a great partner. She is beautiful, she is a lovely girl and we get on really well.
"It is nice to be with someone who... we literally spend so much time together on the ice so it is nice to er... be happy, yeah."
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