Wes Nelson
From Love Island to Dancing on Ice, Wes Nelson tells Jess O’Sullivan about pre- show nerves, his complicated dance moves and how his relationship and childhood friends keep him grounded
The Love Island star is currently making waves in another reality show, Dancing on Ice. Jess O’Sullivan meets him
After weeks of watching Wes Nelson hanging out poolside on the sizzling set of Love Island last summer, it was hard to imagine the 20-year-old engineer from Staffordshire in England would be trading in his swimming trunks for ice skates just a few months later. But last Sunday Wes fully embraced the sequins to perform on ITV’s Dancing on Ice, an appearance that included a complicated routine that no celebrity has dared to try before during their first turn on the ice. “My biggest worry was doing quite a difficult throw, called the Double Salchow. It’s a three-point turn, and then I throw Vanessa and she does a double spin.” Clearly Wes’s engineering background comes in useful when he’s trying to deconstruct these tricky moves. “It was very difficult to get her going in a straight trajectory when I throw, but we practiced a lot, and we got it nailed down. But when the cameras are there and the lights are on, and the nerves, it could have been iffy. But we’ve rehearsed the hell out of it and smashed it. That was the only thing about my first routine that I was a bit worried about.”
Wes admits that before the show he had barely been on an ice rink, (he did it drunk, twice, so we’re not sure that counts), but he was singled out by his fellow contestants as a hot contender to lift the Dancing on Ice trophy this year. Especially impressed was former Pussycat Doll, Melody Thornton, who says: “Wes has a natural ability, so I’m sure he’s one to watch.” His chances are helped by his professional partner, 22-year-old Vanessa Bauer, who is the current reigning champion. She won last season with her partner, X-Factor star Jake Quickenden, so under her tutelage there can be no doubt that Wes is in with a good chance. This has definitely added to the pressure for Wes who admits: “It’s a lot of pressure. Seeing what Jake did last year, you want to top it. It’s going to happen though.”
Vanessa clearly believes in his natural skating ability, given his more advanced moves so early on in the competition. This has given Wes the confidence boost to take it on. “Vanessa does all the choreography, so it’s nice to know that she has faith in me in the sense that it’s a difficult thing, and it’s not actually been done on the show before in the first week. It’s obviously a pleasure to be trusted like that.”
Cheering him on through rehearsals and the live shows is girlfriend Megan Barton Hanson, 24, who was a fellow finalist on this year’s Love Island. Clearly a bit tired at media speculation about how real their relationship is, Wes says that one of his pet peeves is when people remark that they can’t believe the couple are still together. “You wouldn’t say that to any other couple, so it’s weird that people feel it’s okay to come up and say it to us.” They are one of three Love Island couples still together since the show ended and they are still as loved up as ever, even if Megan did describe the skating costumes as “unmanly” and claimed that she found watching it a bit “cringey.” She did, however, say she is “so proud of all the long hours and hard work Wes is putting in”. Has she come round to the sequins since? “Megan saw me on the show and she said I looked ‘cute’. She was loving it really and was just as nervous as I was.”
Wes’s appearance in Love Island was a controversial one, having started out dating Laura Anderson before dumping her for his now girlfriend, but he says that relationships are far less dramatic between the contestants on Dancing on Ice. “Honestly, all of the skaters – and I’m not just saying this to be safe – are getting on so well. There’s no negativity among the cast. Everyone is so happy, everyone is getting on equally. It’s a really good environment.” One competitor Wes has found himself gravitating towards is ex-Westlifer, Brian McFadden. “I can understand him loud and clear, loud being the operative word. He is a very, very funny man and super humble. He is so supportive as well as being a joker, he is always there for you whenever you need to know something or you need a bit of help. If he’s done something I don’t know how to do, he’ll teach me and if he doesn’t know something I’ve done, I’ll teach him. So we’ve got a really good relationship, me and Brian.”
Despite making new celebrity friends, Wes is still very much in touch with and thankful for his childhood friends, who have been with him for the rollercoaster ride of the last few months. We first saw his pals on an episode of Aftersun, the live companion show to Love Island, and viewers were won over by Wes even more after seeing that his best pals were just a down-to-earth bunch of lads. Lads who are definitely enjoying the perks of having a famous friend. “When I left the show I had a lot of personal appearances lined up. Most of the guys were in uni or were off for the summer so when I was doing all these events I could bring them around everywhere. At all the clubs they could get in and drink for free, so they were loving life, but it’s been nice to take them along on the journey with me.” Were they surprised that Wes has ended up a reality TV star? “I’m a little bit different in that sense as I was always a bit flashier, I think they were surprised and they weren’t at the same time. They used to wind me up all the time and say, ‘You should go on something like Love Island’ and then it actually happened. I’m hoping to get them on [ Dancing on Ice], so it’ll be a group of six rowdy boys.” Whether his celebrity star continues to rise, Wes is enjoying himself right now rather than worrying about the future. “I don’t know what the future holds for me. Potentially back to engineering. I’m not obsessed by fame, it doesn’t bother me. I just want to be successful in my career and have a healthy relationship.” Either way, Wes can count on his friends to keep his feet firmly on the ground. “They’re completely the same as they were and I’m so grateful for that. Obviously at first, they were like, ‘What the hell is going on? Why is Wes on our TV?’ But not in the sense that they changed the way they are to me, and neither have I changed the way I am towards them, and that’s the beauty of it. I’m so happy that they’ve all stayed the same. They still rip the hell out of me in the group chats. They still do all the same things that they did before. It’s just that now I’m away from home a bit.”