Dancing on Ice competitor Joey Essex has spoken out about his partnership with professional skater Vanessa Bauer amid rumours the duo are more than just friends.
Fans began speculating about the TOWIE star’s love life after his recent debut on the ITV celebrity skating contest.
Joey has been paired with Vanessa for the competition, and as a result they’ve have been spending lots of time together in training.
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During a chat on Good Morning Britain, Joey addressed the rumours of a romance between them when he was quizzed by Susanna Reid.
"The truth is obviously I’m single, Vanessa’s single," he began. "We go to the ice every day and it’s cold. You know what I mean? You’ve got to keep each other warm. So that’s it, really."
"Well, it sounds like you’re not single and she’s not single," Susanna replied. "It sounds like you’re both together."
"No comment. I can’t confirm," Joey remarked. "But, no, we are both single right now. We’re taking it slow. It’s all good."
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Joey and Vanessa have already got off to a good start on the new season of Dancing On Ice, scoring 27 out of 40 points for their first ever performance together.
As a result, they’ve sailed through to the next round of the competition – musicals week.
Unfortunately, former footballer John Fashanu and his skating partner Alexandra Schauman weren’t so lucky as they became the first couple to be eliminated.
The duo left the competition after struggling to impress the judges in the first skate-off of the season, where they went head-to-head with Love Island star Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and her partner Brendyn Hatfield.
Dancing on Ice airs on ITV1 and ITVX.