Vicky Pattison broke down in tears at the Strictly press day as she admitted to feeling ‘scared’ and ‘overwhelmed’ about taking part in the competition.
The former Geordie Shore star, 37, told the Daily Mail that her biggest worry is being stuck in her ‘own head’ and putting too much pressure on herself to achieve high scores on the dance floor.
After winning I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2015 and finishing runner-up on 2019’s Celebrity MasterChef, Vicky insists she has low expectations of taking home the glitter ball trophy, revealing instead that she has set herself a bigger goal during her time on the BBC series.
She has also appeared in Ex on the Beach, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, and Pilgrimage, as well as fronting her own show My Big Fat Geordie Wedding, but now Vicky says she wants to change the public’s perception of ‘reality stars’ and prove they can be very hardworking.
Vicky follows in the footsteps of her close friend, former TOWIE star Pete Wicks, who inspired her to sign up for the competition after he challenged stereotypes and won over the Strictly audience.
She said: ‘I’m just out of my comfort zone and it’s really scary when you’re out of your comfort zone and I am a bit overwhelmed. I thought I was doing an alright job of hiding it but obviously, I’m not.
Vicky Pattison broke down in tears at the Strictly press day as she admitted to feeling ‘scared’ and ‘overwhelmed’ about taking part in the competition
The former Geordie Shore star told the Daily Mail that her biggest worry is being stuck in her ‘own head’ and putting too much pressure on herself to achieve high scores on the dance floor
After winning I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2015 and finishing runner-up on 2019’s Celebrity MasterChef, Vicky insists she has low expectations of taking home the glitter ball
‘I think it’s because I have wanted to do this show for so long and I am a big fan. I have watched it as a viewer and always thought, God, wouldn’t that be amazing and now I’m here I am so desperate to make the most of it and have a brilliant time, I am worried that I will get in my own head.
‘I don’t think anybody likes to not be very good at anything. You’re asking me in my nearly 40s to get out of my comfort zone and do something that I’ve never done before on a massive stage.
‘I know what people are expecting to see, they want the razzle dazzle, and I am putting a lot of pressure on myself ultimately. At the end of the rehearsal last night, I went and cried in the bath.’
Vicky says she’s grateful to have plenty of people around her supporting her latest career move, including her podcast co-star Angela Scanlon, who competed on Strictly in 2023 and was quick to offer some advice.
She said: ‘I have the best support structure around me, it doesn’t even stop with Pete and Angela, Ruth Langsford reached out, Sara Davies, Ore Oduba, everyone has been so kind.
‘With Pete, our careers, there are a lot of parallels, we have come from reality TV, this common misconception that we’re not necessarily very talented or capable of anything, I would really like to change that narrative.
‘I know I’m not going to be very good at first, but I will work really hard if given the chance to get better just like Pete did. That’s the only advice he gave, he said to be yourself.’
Vicky, who married husband Ercan Ramadan in 2024, admitted she can finally relate to Pete, recalling how he smoked heavily during his time on Strictly because of the intense stress.
The podcaster, pictured with Strictly pro dancer Jowita Przystal, says she’s grateful to have plenty of people around her supporting her latest career move
Vicky admitted she can finally relate to close friend Pete Wicks, recalling how he smoked heavily during his time on Strictly because of the intense stress
The TV star has already been giving a glimpse into training, posing with fellow contestant Dani Dyer during rehearsal breaks
She said: ‘I remember seeing him on site smoking when I came to watch him and I remember thinking; ah he’s so stressed and now I’m here and I feel the pain.
‘I’m doing it aren’t I, it’s me, so I need to get a better handle of myself and put my big girl pants on and try and make the most of it. I will kick myself you know if I’m in my own head the whole time and I don’t enjoy it.’
Vicky is taking part in this year’s Strictly alongside YouTuber George Clarke, who says unlike the Geordie star, he isn’t trying to change anyone’s perception about him or his career.
He said: ‘I am not coming into this to prove a point or be this is why you should know the online world. I am not going to attempt to be anything except myself and see if people like that, if they don’t, then fair enough.
‘I am looking forward to the challenge of it. Outside of everything, I am looking forward to it being something consistent.
‘A lot of the stuff I do is two weeks in advance and they ask if I’m free that day, yeah, sure, and it would be nice to have a routine and a bit of security I don’t normally have.’
She said that to overcome her nerves, she will need to put her ‘big girl pants’, or she will ‘kick herself’ for not enjoying the experience
Vicky is taking part in this year’s Strictly alongside YouTuber George Clarke, who says unlike the Geordie star, he isn’t trying to change anyone’s perception about him or his career
George revealed he is in a relationship with lingerie model Yasmin Amelia, just hours before it was confirmed he had signed up for Strictly.
He doesn’t believe the show’s famous curse will affect his romance, saying: ‘I’m not worried about the Strictly curse, it’s not something that has even crossed my mind to be honest with you. I’m in a happy relationship.’
George, who has over 600,000 YouTube subscribers, has previously done TV work, including the Netflix series Inside.
But he admits that dancing live on the BBC may test him in ways he’s never experienced before, predicting he will feel pre-show nerves.
He said: I feel good, I’m the sort of person who doesn’t get nervous up until it’s just about to happen, which is nice, until it’s just about to happen. It’s a nice buildup and then a breakdown in the dressing room.’
