Dancing On Ice 2023: The only way is… up! Joey Essex and Vanessa Bauer bring their off-screen chemistry to the court as the former TOWIE star opens the new series with an impressive 27 points.
Advertisement
Dancing On Ice returned for another year on Sunday night with an ultra-glam launch, when Joey Essex opened the show with his dance partner Vanessa Bauer.
The 32-year-old former TOWIE star certainly started things off strong as he took to the ice in a sleek two-piece suit and even swung his partner into an airplane lift as they racked up 27 points out of a possible 40.
After months of romance rumors between the pair, they took the chemistry on ice, as Joey could be seen calling their partner ‘Easy on the eyes’ and admitting there would be ‘some flirting’.
Dancing On Ice 2023: The only way is… up! Joey Essex and Vanessa Bauer brought their off-screen chemistry onto the court as the former TOWIE star opened the new series with an impressive 27 points.
It came after the show kicked off with an opening performance by the pro skaters as they stormed the ice in neon ensembles while dancing to Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody, before they were joined by 11 new celebrities for a grand finale. .
Hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby also returned to the runway as hosts of the show, as the latter looked sensational in a diamond-studded black dress.
Joey’s opening performance wowed the judges as he stepped out with his glamor partner Vanessa, who looked gorgeous in a bright green mini-dress.
Judges Jayne Torvil and Chris Dean gave it 6.5 points, with the latter saying: ‘Tonight I think you stole some hearts, that was a great performance.’ A few things to be careful of, be careful you have to skate to Vanessa, don’t let her drag you down.
While it got a 7 from both Oti Mabuse and Ashley Banjo, with Oti dubbing the reality star: ‘Lovely’.
Suave: The former TOWIE star, 32, certainly started things off with a bang when she hit the ice in a suave two-piece
Show-stopper: Joey’s opening performance wowed the judges as he stepped out with glamorous partner Vanessa, who looked gorgeous in a bright green mini dress.
Before the performance, the show gave viewers a look at Joey and Vanessa’s preparation for the first week and showed the moment they started training.
But the reality star didn’t just have her eye on the prize, she also liked the look of her partner.
Upon meeting, he said of Vanessa: ‘She’s easy on the eyes, isn’t she? Vanessa is single, I am single. There’s going to be a little flirting.
Joining the ice was EastEnders legend Patsy Palmer and teammate Matt Evers, who successfully pulled off a collection of well-executed lifts but had trouble remembering all their moves.
The soap opera star scored 21 points out of 40 as Ashley and Oti gave her a score of 5 while Jayne and Chris scored 5.5.
Not a bad start! Joey earned a total of 27 points out of 40 from the judges.
It’s the first week and I love you. You have something you can’t show, the vibe, the energy. You seemed terrified at some points, but that will come in time, so keep going,” Ashley said.
While Chris noticed that she forgot some steps, but Matt guided her to help her.
The Wanted’s Siva Kaneswaran was up next with his partner Klabera Komini.
The show features Ekin-Su Culculoglu, 28, of Love Island, and Michelle Heaton, 43, of Liberty X, who are hoping to be crowned champions.
Other celebrities competing in this year’s series include soccer legend John Fashanu, Olympic gymnast Nile Wilson, Coronation Street’s Mollie Gallagher, Drag Queen and TV personality The Vivienne, comedian Darren Harriott, actress and star of the West End Carley Stenson.