Ahead of Dancing on Ice Live – A chat with Sam Attwater
Its one of the most popular, and exciting programmes on TV, and soon fans of Dancing on Ice will be able to experience the whole, adreline filled ride up close, as Dancing on Ice the Tour, commences a string of national dates. It starts in Newcastle on April 13th, and then visits numerous towns and cities including Manchester, Glasgow and my very own Birmingham. Ahead of the NIA shows I had the chance to catch up with one of the stars of the tour, and the current reigning champion, the lovely Sam Attwater. Sam chatted about ice dancing, risque costumes, and a new app called ‘I am Konki…
Fashion-Mommy: Hi Sam, it’s great to meet you. Can you tell me what you’ve been up to since you were crowned Champion of Dancing on Ice?
Sam Attwater: Dancing lessons! No, I did the Dancing on Ice tour last year after winning, then I went into the West End Show ‘Dreamboats and Petticoats’. I finished that in February. I’ve also been working on an app for the I-Phone called I am Konki. This is designed to bring all your phone apps into one place – things like music, voucher codes, tickets for gigs, horoscopes, weather everything. I’m really excited about this. (Check it out www.iamkonki.com)
FM: Coming into Dancing on Ice – How confident were you?
SA: At the first audition I was so nervous I was literally shaking. I’d only skated a handful of times before this. When I was called back to the show I started the training and would stay behind an extra half an hour for more practice. So by the time it got to the live shows I was quite confident.
FM: Is it true you have placed a bet on Jorgie Porter to win this series?
SA: I watched the first week and Jorgie was head and shoulders above the other contestants, so I put £100 bet on Jorgie to win. What I forgot was that the contestants were split into two groups and so in the second week I saw Matthew Wolfendon and thought – oh..may have been a bit hasty. But I still think Jorgie will win, with Matthew or Chico second. I actually think Chico could pip Matthew – British public seem to love the underdog, so with the X Factor, and Chico coming into the competition late, he may get the vote.
FM: What do you think of the new judges?
SA: I think they are brilliant! Louis is so exciting and enthusiastic, but still makes good points and gives advice. He is very entertaining. I like Katarina too. She really knows her stuff. I think it’s a shame there have been some misunderstandings due to the language barrier.
FM: Do you think the show misses Jason Gardner?
SA: No, I don’t. Some people may miss him, but personally no, I don’t think the show does miss him.
FM: You had a juicy storyline in Eastenders, do you think you would ever return to the show?
SA: If asked, I would definitely think about it. It was a great storyline with Lucy pregnant and Jayne wanting a baby, and I do think it was rather cut short, lots of things could’ve happened if Lucy had the baby. So yes, I would definitely think about it if asked, but would depend on the storyline.
FM: Do you keep in touch with any of the Eastenders cast?
SA: Yes. I spoke to Chery (Ferguson aka Heather Trott) a few weeks ago, And two weeks ago I was in LA and I saw a picture on Twitter of Devon Anderson, who played Billie Jackson, outside LA Ink. I contacted him and said ‘Don’t tell me you’re in La?’. He was,so we spent a couple of days together.
FM: Fashion-Mommy is very interested in style. You wore some pretty revealing costumes in the show,Was there anything you hated wearing or even refused to wear?
SA: I hated wearing the pink costume that has since been used in lots of the publicity shots. I agreed to wear it if I was given the choice of costumes for the rest of the series. It seemed like a good deal, but that photograph now shows up everywhere!
FM: How would you describe your personal style?
SA: I throw it together. Sometimes I look scruffy, but clean scruffy. Sometimes I like to wear a suit jacket. I like to mix it up a bit. I like All Saints and Amplified.
FM: Who are your style icons – who do you admire?
SA: I admire Johnny Depp. He always looks different, has his own look. I like how he wears glasses. I often wear glasses myself. I don’t actually need them, but I like the way they look.
FM: What’s next for Sam Attwater?
SA: I want to focus on my acting in the next year. I’d love to do a drama series, or a period drama. I need to be careful in the things that I choose, maybe avoiding reality tv shows. Would quite like to do a play – more West End. We’ll see what the year brings.
With huge thanks to Sam Attwater, Tara Tomes from the NEC group, and Emma from Neil Reading PR.