As celebrity pals go, Connor Ball has a rather impressive claim to fame.
The Vamps star, who will take to the rink on Dancing On Ice for the first time this weekend, is friends with none other than Taylor Swift.
Bassist Connor and his pop rock band supported Taylor on her Red tour in 2014, and they got along so famously she invited them to come and meet her family.
Brad Simpson, James Brittain-McVey, Tristan Evans and Connor were even treated to a home-cooked meal whipped up by the Blank Space singer.
"She invited us to dinner, cooked a gorgeous curry and then refused to let us wash up," revealed Tristan.
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"In the end, we all grabbed a tea-towel and did the pots together."
The drummer added: "She is the nicest, most down-to-earth person I've met."
Taylor's mum Andrea was also in tow, and she gave the chart-topping lads some career advice.
Tristan told Sky News: "I remember speaking to Taylor's mum about how involved they were, and I asked her about the stage and she was like, 'No you can't rely on these people you have to do it yourself'.
"That was really cool for us because we were young at this stage. It makes you realise how hands on she is and how hands on you should be because you're the one who's got to go out there and perform."
And James explained he and his band-mates learnt a lot from Taylor.
"First of all, she was really confident when she was speaking to the audience," he told Ryan Seacrest.
"Secondly, her stage band was also amazing. I think we kind of strive to be that together on stage.
"Her crew was so friendly and welcoming. So Taylor taught us a lot."
This week, Connor will skate live on telly for the first time alongside his professional partner Alexandra Schauman.
The 25-year-old is in good hands, as Alexandra has won the show twice before with James Jordan in 2019 and Joe Swash in 2020.
And if Connor wants advice on how to win the trophy, he can ask another of his celeb pals - Sonny Jay - who won the 2021 series.
"I'm pretty competitive. I’d like to win. I'd like to do well. I'll be trying my best," said Connor.
"I love challenging myself in everything, certainly in music but this is completely different to anything I’ve ever done before and I love skating as well.
"I’ve been skating since I was young - not good, mind. Just with my mates. Obviously it's very different to just going with my mates so I’ll get to learn proper technique.
"It's the same thing as learning guitar, I love the idea of challenging myself so it’s going to be cool."
* Dancing On Ice continues Sunday at 6:30pm on ITV
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