Joey Essex and Drag Race star The Vivienne join Dancing On Ice 2023 line-up
They join names like Patsy Palmer, John Fashanu and Mollie Gallagher.
TV star Joey Essex and drag artist and reality star The Vivienne will join the 2023 line-up for Dancing On Ice.
Essex, who rose to fame as part of reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex (Towie), told This Morning: “I would love to win. I’m going to put all my energy into this. This stage in my life, I’m so ready for this.”
Since stepping away from Towie in 2013, he has been a feature on many other reality TV shows, including I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Celebrity MasterChef and Celebs Go Dating.
He also fronted two of his own shows, Educating Joey Essex, which was narrated by This Morning star Phillip Schofield and saw him interview political heavyweights, and Joey Essex: Grief And Me, a BBC documentary about him losing his mother at a young age.
“I want to impress the judges but I want to impress myself. I’m going to put all my effort into this.”
The 32-year-old joins RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series 1 winner The Vivienne, who said being on the ITV show marks a “huge step forward for queer representation on TV”.
The drag artist, real name James Lee Williams, 30, is also known for competing this year on an all winners season of the RuPaul franchise in the US as the only contestant from the UK and starring in BBC Three show The Vivienne Takes on Hollywood in 2020.
The Vivienne said: “I’m beyond excited to announce that I will be competing in Dancing on Ice in 2023! This is honestly a dream come true and I can’t wait to start training on the ice.
“To be the first drag artist to take part in one of the big UK reality competition shows is truly an honour. I think it’s a big step forward for queer representation on TV.”
The Welsh entertainer, who also has links to Liverpool, added in an Instagram comment: “I CANT WAIT!!”
The TV star has also been seen on screen in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016), a spin-off of the 1990s comedy starring Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders, and This Is Going to Hurt, a comedy-drama taking place on an NHS labour ward that sees Ben Whishaw in the lead role.
The Vivienne has also competed on The Great British Sewing Bee: Celebrity Christmas Special, Celebrity Hunted and Celebrity Mastermind.
The drag queen joins previously announced actress and DJ Patsy Palmer, football’s John Fashanu, Love Island alum Ekin-Su Culculoglu, Olympian gymnast Nile Wilson and Coronation Street’s Mollie Gallagher.
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.
