Joey Essex’s family reveal him taking Dancing On Ice seriously made them cry

The family of TV personality Joey Essex said they were “crying” watching him skate in the opening episode of Dancing On Ice as he was “so serious”. The former The Only

Way Is Essex reality star, 32, 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. Essex received 27 points and widespread praise for his and professional skating partner Vanessa Bauer’s sophisticated ice dance – which

featured a lunge and a lift. His cousin Jenny, who was in the audience, told host Holly Willoughby: “I was so emotional, I started crying and I was like, wow, because I’m

used to seeing Joey being silly. “And then when I saw him, like serious, and actually doing something amazing, I just got emotional. I felt so proud.” In a video after

the show, Essex: “Thank you so much for voting for us, It was the best thing I’ve ever done, super proud of me and Vanessa.” Also in the audience was Ekin-Su Culculoglu’s

boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti, who said: “She was wonderful, very beautiful and yeah, I was proud of her.” Culculoglu landed bottom of the leaderboard this week, based on a

public vote and the judges’ score, and will face the celebrity from the second cohort to score the fewest points next week. Last year’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here

winner Jill Scott, who was seated nearby, said it was a “real honour” to be there as she loves the programme. Willoughby, who hosts the show with her This Morning

co-presenter Phillip Schofield, said Scott’s “got a lot of trophies” and asked her if she would like to add another.