Vicky Pattison is hoping to light up the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom with a touch of her northern charm. 

The Geordie star is aiming to be the celebrity contestant who lifts the BBC show’s Glitterball Trophy this year after several previous big TV successes.

Here is everything you need to know about Vicky Pattison, including where she grew up, if she dated former Strictly star Pete Wicks and if she’s married.

Who is Vicky Pattison on Strictly?

Strictly Come Dancing 2025 star Vicky Pattison was born on  November 16, 1987. This makes her 37 years old. Vicky grew up in Newcastle with her parents Caroll and John, and her little sister Laura.

After finishing school, Vicky attended Liverpool John Moores University and graduated with a degree in drama. She previously admitted she always wanted to work in the entertainment industry.

Vicky originally had jobs in telesales and marketing before finding fame, but it wasn’t long before stardom came knocking.

Why is Vicky famous?

Vicky Pattison shot to fame aged 22 on the MTV reality show Geordie Shore. She starred for nine seasons – between 2011 and 2014 – and became a household name thanks to the show’s wild nights out and the on-again, off-again dating and love lives of the cast.

Alongside co-stars Charlotte Crosby, Holly Hagan, and Sophie Kasaei, their chaotic antics firmly cemented them in the public eye.

Vicky has since looked back at her time on the show, telling the No Filter podcast: “When I first went on the show, I was very young and very impressionable, and it was a whole show centred around drinking, having a good time and kissing people you probably shouldn’t.”

She added: “When you’re in your early twenties, all of that stuff’s okay, isn’t it? It’s kind of what you’re doing. I think if I went back and gave myself any advice, I would predominantly give her a hug. And I would tell her that things would get better.”

I’m A Celebrity jungle queen

Vicky Pattison braved the creepy crawlies of the Australian jungle in 2015 for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!. Despite arriving as a late entrant on Day 3, she went on to be crowned Queen of the Jungle. Vicky won with a whopping 70.17% of the public vote. It’s the 10th anniversary of her victory this year.

Viewers loved getting to see another side of ‘Vicky from Geordie Shore’. She was rumoured to be considering the All Star version in South Africa this year, but then decided to swap the khaki for sparkles for Strictly instead. Who can blame her?!

Vicky excelled in the Bushtucker Trials during IAC. Highlights included drinking gruesome cocktails that were a bit different from the ones she was used to on Geordie Shore. Vicky also dressed as a giant flying squirrel for one challenge, as well as taking part in a human tombola surrounded by mealworms, cockroaches, and crickets.

After leaving the jungle, Vicky returned to Australia the following year to host the spin-off show, Extra Camp, alongside Chris Ramsey, Joe Swash, and Stacey Solomon.

What other TV shows has Vicky been on?

After claiming the jungle crown, Vicky became a host on ITV’s Loose Women for nine months. She also appeared on Ex On The Beach and Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.

In 2019, she surprised herself with her cooking ability on Celebrity MasterChef and finished as a runner-up on Series 14. At the start of the series she said that her cooking skills were limited and shared her fondness for a sandwich platter.

Vicky currently presents a radio show on Heart FM at the weekend.

Who has Vicky Pattison been engaged to?

In 2013, while on Geordie Shore, Vicky became engaged to her co-star Ricci Guarnaccio. The couple soon called it quits, but reunited on Ex On The Beach in 2014. However, their love wasn’t to be and after a rocky relationship they split for good.

Vicky later rekindled a relationship with John Noble, who she had dated before Geordie Shore. They got back together in 2016 after bumping into each other on a train. Businessman John proposed in 2018 while on a romantic countryside walk. The couple split later that year amid cheating accusations.

Vicky began dating labourer and builder Ercan Ramadan in 2019. The couple initially split after a few weeks, as she thought it was too soon to date after John. Fortunately, they got back together and dated for three years before getting engaged. Ercan popped the question in Dubai in 2022.

When did Vicky Pattison get married?

Vicky married her long-term partner, Ercan Ramadan, at Marylebone Town Hall in August 2024. They then tied the knot again with a lavish ceremony in Puglia, Italy. The couple wed in front of 150 loved ones, with Vicky joking it was impossible to shorten the guest-list.

The couple chose Italy as their wedding destination after visiting Rome when they first started dating. Vicky wowed in four dresses and, of course, cameras were there to capture every detail.

Vicky and Ercan starred in two-part reality series for Channel 4, called My Big Fat Geordie Wedding. The couple’s show documented the preparations that went into the stunning day and saw them saying ‘I Do’.

Did Vicky Pattison and Pete Wicks date?

Vicky describes former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Pete Wicks as one of her “best friends”. She was even in the BBC studio audience last year when he competed on the show.

But Vicky and Pete – who appear on Celebrity Gogglebox together – have never dated and their relationship is purely platonic. They have been friends for over a decade, and Pete even appeared as a ‘flower girl’ at Vicky’s wedding last year.

Vicky revealed on ITV’s Lorraine at the time: “Pete is embracing his role of flower girl! I have no doubt he’s going to show us some fantastic moves as he walks down that aisle.”

Pete even carved out time from his hectic Strictly schedule to make the ceremony: “He’s flying in and out very fast! He’s a really good friend, so this has been conflicting for him,” Vicky added.

On Vicky and Ercan’s wedding day, Pete wrote on Instagram: “Couldn’t be more proud of you Vicky. For 10 years you have been one of my best friends and biggest supporters. I am so blessed and lucky to call you a friend. You are a wonderful person and have always been there for me, my life is better with you in it. This is your day and you deserve it more than anyone. Congratulations.”

He has to have given Vicky some tips for Strictly Come Dancing!

Does Vicky have kids?

Vicky does not have children. However, she recently shared a post on Instagram saying that she and Ercan were thinking “very seriously about growing our little family”.

The star has been very open in the past about her experiences with PCOS [Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome. Last year, Vicky told BBC News Naga Munchetty about her diagnosis, saying: ‘I felt liberation because I’m not insane. I’m not mental, I’m not all those things I was convincing myself I was because I couldn’t deal with periods like everybody else.

In 2023, Vicky froze some of her eggs. She had previously dismissed having children, saying she was “not maternal” but has changed her mind since meeting Ercan.

“I started to want things that I had never wanted before, like a house rather than a flat in London and dogs and a slower pace of life and wanting children came on my radar,” she told the BBC.

Vicky say that freezing her eggs has “taken the pressure off loads”, adding: “We want to enjoy married life. This has given us the luxury of time and options.”

Vicky’s body fight back

Vicky’s weight has yoyo’d over the years. However, she recently said she suffers from “disordered eating”.

The star shared a series of pictures of herself at different sizes on social media and told fans: “I used to be cruel to the girl in the first photo. I let her eat what she wanted but I constantly berated her. Called her names and made her feel worthless. Just because of a number on a scale.

“I was cruel to the girl in the second photo as well but in an entirely different way. I would count how many blueberries I put on my porridge, restrict my calories and weaponise exercise. That girl was a nervous wreck.”

She wrote: “Both of these extremes didn’t bring me happiness- the unhealthy practices I put my body through over the years brought me anxiety, disordered eating and low self worth.”

Vicky is regularly praised by fans for being honest about her weight and for championing body positivity. Beside a recent, unfiltered bikini snap, she said: “This is a reminder that strong, healthy bodies are what we all should be aiming for. Healthy looks quite different on everyone.

“Instead of obsessing over how we look… we should be focusing on how we feel and what we’re capable of. Every lump, bump, scar, stretch mark and tiger stripe on our body tells a story. We shouldn’t hide them away, we should celebrate them.”

Where does Vicky Pattison live?

Vicky swapped Newcastle for Essex, and she now lives in Brentwood with her husband Ercan and their two adorable labradors, Milo and Max. The couple keeps fans updated about their homelife on an Instagram account, called Oaks_House.

They bought their huge home four years ago. In June, Vicky told fans they plan to convert their garage into cinema room.

Vicky Pattison on Strictly Come Dancing

Vicky was announced as the eleventh celebrity contestant for this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. She’ll be battling for the Glitterball Trophy alongside Love Island winner Dani Dyer and social media star George Clarke. Retired footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal have got their eyes on the prize, too.

Doctor Who fans will recognise Alex Kingston, while disability campaigner and model Ellie Goldstein are also taking part. Sports fans can watch rugby player Chris Robshaw, footballer Karen Carney and Gladiators icon Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, aka Nitro on Strictly, too.

Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn was announced but had to pull out due to medical reasons. He has since been replaced with soap star Lewis Cope.

When does Strictly Come Dancing 2025 start?

There’s not long to go now! The new season of Strictly Come Dancing starts on Saturday September 20, 2025. It will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 6.40pm. From the week after, there will be a live show on the Saturday night and a results show on Sunday.

The series will run all the way through until December. Last year’s Strictly Live Final aired on Saturday December 14.

Read more: Strictly Come Dancing 2025: How to vote for your favourite celebrity after the BBC makes a big change

Strictly Come Dancing starts on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday, September 20, 2025.