Joey Essex speaks out on 'painful' DOI performance that paid tribute to late mum

ok.co.uk:

TV personality Joey Essex said his mother, who died when he was a child, would have been “proud” and “loved” to have seen him in the final of Dancing On Ice.The former The Only Way Is Essex star, 32, will face competition from Olympic gymnast Nile Wilson and drag queen The Vivienne when the ITV show draws to a close on Sunday.

When asked what his mother Tina would make of him doing well on the show, Essex said: “I feel like she would be very proud. “She 100% would be very proud of me and she would have loved to have been there in the audience.” Essex’s mother took her own life when he was 10 years old and he has since spoken publicly about his loss in the BBC documentary, Joey Essex: Grief and Me.The reality star added that performing with his professional skating partner Vanessa Bauer to High by Lighthouse Family in memory of his mother last week was “extremely difficult” due to the “flooding of emotions”.

He said: “It still is very painful, It’s very raw and I don’t think I’ll ever fully properly get over that situation, I’ve definitely let go of something and released a lot of pressure after my documentary.” Last week Essex was saved by the judges, who chose to send home Coronation Street actress Mollie Gallagher and The Wanted singer Siva Kaneswaran after the skate-off.

He continued: “So, for me, it was like another little lesson to be like, ‘we can do this, and you’ve got what it takes to win’.