Vicky Pattison said she broke down in tears at the Strictly Come Dancing press day, admitting she felt “scared” and “overwhelmed” about competing on the BBC ballroom series. The 37-year-old former Geordie Shore star said her biggest concern was getting stuck in her “own head” and putting too much pressure on herself to deliver high scores on live television.
Pattison, who won I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2015 and finished runner-up on Celebrity MasterChef in 2019, said she has low expectations of taking home the glitter ball and instead wants to use the show to change perceptions of reality TV personalities as hardworking performers. She told reporters that, after rehearsals, she had gone and “cried in the bath” and that she would need to "put [her] big girl pants on" to avoid missing out on enjoying the experience.
Pattison said she felt pressure because she has wanted to be on the show for years and now wants to make the most of the opportunity. She cited a strong support network, naming close friend and former The Only Way Is Essex star Pete Wicks and podcast co-host Angela Scanlon among those encouraging her. Pattison said Wicks, who competed and became popular with Strictly viewers, advised her simply to “be yourself.”
She outlined a broader aim of shifting the narrative around stars who rose to prominence on reality television. "There are a lot of parallels" between her career and Wicks’s, she said, adding that she hoped to show reality stars can be talented and hardworking. Pattison also referenced other television appearances, including Ex on the Beach, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Pilgrimage, and her own show My Big Fat Geordie Wedding.
Pattison, who married Ercan Ramadan in 2024, said she expected to be poor at some elements of the dancing at first but vowed to work hard to improve if given the chance. She said she recognized how stressful the competition can be, recalling Wicks smoking during his time on the show because of the pressure.
Also appearing at the press day, YouTuber George Clarke — another new contestant this series — said he was not joining Strictly to prove a point about online creators. Clarke said he planned to be himself and see whether audiences responded. He revealed that he had told the public he was in a relationship with lingerie model Yasmin Amelia just hours before his participation was confirmed and said he did not expect the show’s so-called "curse" to affect his romance.
Clarke, who has more than 600,000 YouTube subscribers and has done television work including the Netflix series Inside, said he was looking forward to the steadiness of a weekly routine. He said he typically does short-notice work and welcomed the consistency Strictly offers, while acknowledging that his nerves usually arrive only just before a live performance.
Producers of Strictly Come Dancing have in recent years cast contestants from a range of backgrounds, including reality television, journalism and online content creation. Contestants’ experiences have varied, with some turning early vulnerability into audience support and others citing intense pressure under the lights. Pattison’s comments reflect common concerns among newcomers about live performance and public scrutiny as the new series opens.
Rehearsals and filming schedules for the forthcoming Strictly series are expected to intensify in the coming weeks as contestants and professional dancers prepare routines for the live shows. Pattison said she will concentrate on enjoying the process and improving week to week rather than setting herself unrealistic expectations for the competition’s outcome.