Strictly star tearfully says show has left them ‘scared and overwhelmed’

’I thought I was doing an alright job of hiding it but obviously I’m not,’ she said

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Vicky Pattinson has tearfully admitted that she’s scared of appearing on the show.

The Geordie Shore star is one of the few reality stars to have ever appeared on the BBC dancing competition and has been left feeling overwhelmed by the pressure.

Pattinson, who wants to use her time on the series to change the perception of reality stars, said she feels she is out of her comfort zone and is desperate to make the most of the opportunity.

“I thought I was doing an alright job of hiding it but obviously I’m not,” she said after breaking down in tears during a press day for the forthcoming series, which starts later this month.

The Ex on the Beach star, who won the ITV series I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2015, said: ”I’m just out of my comfort zone and it’s really scary when you’re out of your comfort zone and I am a bit overwhelmed.

“I think it’s because I have wanted to do this show for so long and I am a big fan. I have watched it as a viewer and always thought, God, wouldn’t that be amazing and now I’m here I am so desperate to make the most of it and have a brilliant time, I am worried that I will get in my own head.”

Pattinson, 37, continued: “I don’t think anybody likes to not be very good at anything. You’re asking me in my nearly forties to get out of my comfort zone and do something that I’ve never done before on a massive stage.”

Vicky Pattinson is a contestant on ‘Strictly’ 2025 (BBC)

She reflected on the stress experienced by her fellow reality star The Only Way is Essex’s Pete Wicks, who competed on the series last year.

“I remember seeing him on site smoking when I came to watch him and I remember thinking, ‘Ah he’s so stressed’ and now I’m here and I feel the pain.”

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However, she said she “needs to get a better handle of herself” and try and make the most of it, as she will kick herself if she doesn’t enjoy it.

Pattinson previously said she wanted to appear on the show for financial security and to make her family proud.

Vicky Pattinson is close friends with last year’s ‘Strictly’ star Pete Wicks (Getty Images)

Speaking on her Get a Grip podcast, she said she wants to prove to people that she can do it, adding that she knows her anxiety stems from trying to change the opinions of people who will never like her.

“I’m wasting my life – I’m wasting my time trying to pander at these people,” she said.

This year’s Strictly lineup also includes Love Island star Dani Dyer, former Apprentice contestant Thomas Skinner, Lioness Karen Carney, Good Morning Britain showbiz presenter Ross King, and history-making model Ellie Goldstein, who will be the show’s first contestant with Down Syndrome.

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One from 20 September.