Joey Essex opened up about his romance with Vanessa Bauer amid his stint on Dancing On Ice - as he debuted a new look.
The former Only Way Is Essex star has been romantically linked to his professional skating partner Vanessa Bauer and during his appearance on Good Morning Britain today, their bond soon got brought up. Joey refused to confirm if they were dating but did say they were "taking it slow" and hinted the pair were an item.
He also spoke about the strong bond he has with her and how they trust each other completely. Fans, though, were distracted by Joey's new look - and he certainly looks very different.
"She trusts me, I trust her. We had to do that airplane at the end. I'm throwing around. I was going down with her because I didn't want to hurt her," he said during a chat with Ed Balls and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain today.
Asked about a potential romance, he added: "I'm open. The truth is, obviously I'm single, Vanessa's single. It's cold, we've got to keep each other warm. It's all good. No comment, can't confirm. We are taking it slow, it's all good."
Joey previously confessed to his feelings for Vanessa, insisting he cares about her.
Speaking to The Mirror and other press, he said: "At the start of the journey, I was like oh my gosh I don't want to drop you but now it's just like whatever let's do it, let's take risks! Obviously I care about Vanessa because she's a lovely girl.
"I don't want to drop her, but she's so used to being dropped. Nile's a gymnast so he knows how to fall and I know how to fall now. I got some injuries at the start but you learn how to fall and you learn how to be dropped."
However, he did admit she was very strict with her training, adding: "Oh yeah she's definitely whipping me! She is beyond strict, but I love it but I wanted someone who is strict and put me in my place."
Joey has made no secret of his affection for Vanessa, but he skirted around the issue when quizzed about it recently.
During a recent TV appearance, Lorraine Kelly quizzed Joey on the romance rumours, saying: "You've got lovely Vanessa as your partner. The two of you get on incredibly well. So of course, everybody says you're going out. That is what they say all the time."
Joey then refused to deny the rumours, skirting around the issue, as he added in response to Lorraine's comments: "Lovely girl. What? The tabloids? I mean she's a great partner. She is beautiful, she is a lovely girl and we get on really well. It is nice to be with someone who... we literally spend so much time together on the ice so it is nice to er... be happy, yeah."
