While he said he was 'open' to talk about it, Joey Essex appeared to squirm when he was quizzed about romance rumours between him and his professional Dancing on Ice partner on Good Morning Britain. The reality star is among the string of famous faces currently appearing in the ITV skating competition following its return earlier this month.
Joey got off to a great start on the ice alongside Vanessa Bauer. During the opening episode of the series on January 15, which saw the first six couples perform for the first time, Joey and Vanessa received the second highest score from the judges after former Olympian gymnast Nile Wilson and his partner Olivia Smart got 29.5 points on ITV's celebrity dancing show on Sunday.
Joey received 27 points and widespread praise for his and professional skating partner Vanessar’s sophisticated ice dance – which featured a lunge and a lift. In a video after the show, Joey said: "Thank you so much for voting for us, It was the best thing I’ve ever done, super proud of me and Vanessa."
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But ever since it was revealed that the pair would be skating together, rumours around their relationship have also surfaced. Dancing on Ice Holly Willoughby addressed them following their first skate, saying to Joey: "You're really enjoying this partnership aren't you." A giggly Joey then looked his partner Vanessa up and down before saying: "She's easy on the eye." Holly, 41, added: "And she's a very good skater!"
And during a fresh appearance on Good Morning Britain to chat about how he's getting on in Dancing on Ice, the questions about him and Vanessa returned. In response to Susanna Reid and Ed Balls, Joey said: "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."
Susanna, 52, then probed: "But it sounds like you're not single and she's not single? It sounds like you’re both together." Joey initially continued to downplay the romance claims and replied: "No comment, I can't confirm. We are both single." He then added: "We're taking it slow, it's all good."
As the hosts cooed over his admission, claiming that it was lovely news, Joey nervously continued to laugh and insisted he wasn't actually confirming anything was going on between the pair.
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