EXCLUSIVE: Reality star Vicky Pattison has revealed the way she found herself on the Strictly Come Dancing line-up after spending years manifesting
Strictly Come Dancing star Vicky Pattison has been secretly plotting her stint on the show with a “vision board” for years. Now she believes that her dream has come true after manifesting her appearance on the new series of the BBC dancing show.
Vicky, 37, said: “I would say to anyone who has goals, and is struggling to proactively get what they want, or even work out what it is they want, do a vision board. “I swear by them. I have two in my office, two huge ones, one for my professional life and one for my personal life.
“I’m not scared to tell you what’s on them. My professional one is filled with images of me on Strictly Come Dancing and the BBC logo. And it’s got a picture of Stacey Dooley, because I want to film hard-hitting documentaries and talk about issues that I’m passionate about, like women’s reproductive health, women’s safety, and so many other issues that affect us.”
Vicky said she has struggled with her identity after finding fame on MTV’s Geordie Shore and is desperate to be taken more seriously. She explained: “For years I’ve been Vicky from reality TV – whether it was Ex on the Beach or Celebrity Coach Trip, everyone knows me from that realm.
“But what I want to be is Vicky the Television Presenter. Vicky the Respected Author. Vicky the Valued Broadcaster. Eventually, I want people to be more interested in the quality of my work than the details of my life. It’s a difficult jump to make because there is a huge stigma around people who come from reality television, basically that we’re talentless and have nothing to offer.
“We’re superficial, vapid, unintelligent, and all we’re good for is flogging outfits or whitening products. I resent those implications. I don’t agree with those statements, but they’ve followed me my whole life.”
It’s not the first time Vicky has been successful with her vision board – she also had a picture of Heart radio studios on it before landing a presenter gig. But while Strictly was another ambition, she confessed in her book The Secret to Happy that she has no ballroom skills.
Vicky admitted: “For many years, I truly believed the reason I’d stayed where I was for so long was because people liked me, and it is! I’m not talented. I can’t kick a football, sing a song or do a great dance. I’m rubbish at all that. My income is based on my likeability.”
Vicky was announced as a Strictly Come Dancing contestant on This Morning two weeks ago and has now begun training. She is TV presenter, author, podcast and radio host who won the nation’s heart after being crowned Queen of the Jungle on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2015.
Since then, she’s remained a firm fixture on British screens, with presenting roles across MTV, ITV, Channel 5, Channel 4 and TLC. er critically acclaimed Channel 4 documentary Vicky Pattison: Alcohol, Dad and Me cemented her as a compelling and authentic voice in the conversation around alcohol addiction and mental health.
Vicky has also been a Celebrity MasterChef finalist, appeared on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins , and featured in BBC’s Sport Relief: All Star Games and was seen raising money in BBC’s Arctic Challenge for Comic Relief last year.
On joining Strictly Come Dancing , Vicky Pattison said: “ ‘ I’m absolutely buzzing to be part of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing lineup… but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified. I am a not a natural dancer! However, it’s such an amazing opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone and to challenge myself in a completely new way and I just really hope I don’t make too much of a fool of myself!”
Other celebrities in this year’s line up include Harry Aikines-Aryeetey – also known as Nitro from BBC’s Gladiators – Love Island star Dani Dyer, 29, retired footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, 53, and Doctor Who actress Alex Kingston, 62.
Also competing are YouTuber-and-podcaster George Clarke, 25, trailblazing model Ellie Goldstein, 23 – the first model with Down Syndrome to grace the cover of British Vogue magazine – and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star La Voix, 45.
In addition there are other stars like retired England rugby player Chris Robshaw, 39, The Apprentice 2019 candidate Thomas Skinner, 34, and Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis, 66. The series kicks off on BBC1 and iPlayer next month.
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