Joey Essex once claimed he was a "secret ice-skating demon".
Joey Essex once claimed he was a 'secret ice-skating demon'
The former 'The Only Way is Essex' star recently admitted he was looking forward to "learning a new skill" on the upcoming 'Dancing on Ice' series, but he has previously boasted about how he can skate backwards and do "fancy shapes" on the ice.
In his 2014 book 'Being Reem', he wrote: "If you went to Romford ice rink on a Saturday afternoon you’d see me, little Joey Essex, whizzing about like some icy ninja.
"I can still ice-skate now – I’m one of those blokes who gets on the ice and starts skimming about backwards doing fancy shapes (to impress the ladies)."
Joey also admitted he would be able to "easily pull off that Lycra" on the ITV show.
He added in the tome: "Imagine if I’d gone on Dancing on Ice. I reckon I could easily pull off that Lycra."
Earlier this week, Joey - who is partnered with ice skater pro Vanessa Bauer - admitted he was "looking forward to learning a new skill properly", and to get a "nice bit of structure" into his life.
He said: "I’m looking forward to learning a new skill properly because with ice skating, from what I know, once you’ve learned it, you remember it. The whole journey! I just want to get into it and start working.
"I’ve got a proper long job ahead of me and I’m excited because I love working and being busy.
"I think the reason I’ve decided to do this is it’s going to bring a nice bit of structure into my life. I also like competition and I’m very competitive. For me, this is very exciting. Taking part in 'Dancing on Ice' now is the right time for me.
"If you spoke to Joey Essex at 23 and 24, I could have said ‘yes’ to it but I probably wouldn’t have put 100 per cent into it. I feel like doing something like this, I’m very ready for it."
Asked if he has any ice-skating experience, he admitted: "I used to go ice skating at Romford Ice Rink when I was 11 or 12 - I would just go there with my friends."
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