Strictly Come Dancing star Vicky Pattison has been dazzling viewers with her professional partner, Kai Widdrington, during the latest series of the hit dancing competition – and a newly unearthed throwback from her Geordie Shore days shows just how far she's come since first bursting onto our screens over a decade ago. The image, taken from the early years of MTV's hit reality show, captures a fresh-faced Vicky in her twenties, long before her transformation into one of the UK's most versatile and beloved TV personalities.
Vicky's career so far
For those who haven't binge-watched the guilty-pleasure series, Vicky first made her name on Geordie Shore between the years of 2011 and 2014, before going on to win over the nation as Queen of the Jungle on I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2015. Since then, she's featured across MTV, ITV, Channel 5, Channel 4 and TLC – including fronting her powerful Channel 4 documentary Vicky Pattison: Alcohol, Dad and Me, reaching the Celebrity MasterChef final and taking on the gruelling Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Now 37, Vicky continues to wear many hats. She currently presents a Saturday afternoon show on Heart Radio and hosts two hit podcasts – Get A Grip with Angela Scanlon and Love Bombed for BBC Sounds – all while juggling rehearsals for her Strictly debut.
Strictly nerves
Before Strictly's first live show, Vicky shared how she was "absolutely RIDDLED with nerves and anxiety" about stepping out on the dancefloor. In a candid post, which featured a picture of the star looking emotional, Vicky explained: "[This picture is] from the day my agent called me and told me I'd got @bbcstrictly.
"As someone who has watched the show for years and is a huge fan... I honestly just couldn't believe they'd want someone like me. In fact, I still can't…When the nerves ramp up a notch tomorrow which they undoubtedly will, I'm going to remind myself of this moment... how unbelievably lucky I felt to be taking part in such an amazing show, to be learning a new skill and gaining a new family too.. all these lovely things."
Looking back
Looking back on her early career, Vicky has spoken candidly about how her time on Geordie Shore shaped her. Speaking to PA news agency back in 2023, Vicky reflected: "My time spent on Geordie Shore just completely reinforced the idea that I probably wasn't good for anything, and I'm really lucky that I've managed to parlay that time spent in reality TV into something with longevity – into using my platform for good."
Despite her personal feelings on her early career, it's safe to say that Vicky continues to exceed her own expectations with just how far she's come – and fans can tune in to see her shine for another instalment of Strictly Come Dancing this Saturday on BBC One.