Joey Essex said he signed up to Dancing On Ice because he is ready for something more “mature”.
The 32-year-old, who rose to fame on The Only Way Is Essex (Towie), was announced as the seventh celebrity contestant for the ITV show on Friday.
The reality TV star, who has appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Celebrity MasterChef and Celebs Go Dating, said: “It’s more serious to what I normally do.
“I’ve done all the dating shows in the world. It’s a bit more serious for me.”
The TV personality, who stepped down from Towie in 2013, added: “I’d like to say I’ve matured. I’ve grown up.
“I think 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.”
Essex, who has not skated since being a child, has already started preparing by going to the gym and running.
He said: “It’s scary. It’s a competition. I’ve done The Jump, which was sort of similar to Dancing On Ice, though not really – I don’t know how I won.”
Essex said winning Dancing On Ice “would be a bonus” that he would “love” – and admitted he never signed up before because he did not feel ready.
He added: “I want to fall in love with the ice.”
He also spoke about BBC documentary Joey Essex: Grief And Me, which explored his struggles following the death of his mother Tina when he was 10.
Speaking on This Morning on Friday, he said: “I didn’t feel like I’d achieve anything (doing the documentary).
“I was like, ‘What’s the worst it can do?’
“But coming out of the documentary I’ve learned so much about myself. I’ve dealt with the grief a lot.
“I thought I’d always feel the same; I’d always feel that sadness.
“I’ve opened up. I can talk about it. I don’t get upset about talking about it. I can look at pictures. It’s really helped.”
Essex said his “mature side” emerged after the 2021 documentary.
He joins The Vivienne, DJ Patsy Palmer, football’s John Fashanu, Love Island alum Ekin-Su Culculoglu, Olympian gymnast Nile Wilson and Coronation Street’s Mollie Gallagher in the line-up.
Dancing On Ice is set to return to ITV and ITVX in 2023 and will see 11 celebrities take to the ice to skate live in the hope of being crowned champion, following in the footsteps of Jake Quickenden, James Jordan, Joe Swash and this year’s winner Regan Gascoigne.
