Vicky: “It’s been tough, but I’m happy dating again”

Fresh from airing her heartbreak over her split with fiancé John Noble on TV, Vicky Pattison talks learning to heal, battling body-shamers and why she won’t give up on love

She confessed to feeling “broken” after splitting from cheating fiancé John Noble in November – but Vicky Pattison has vowed to come out on top by finding love again and making 2019 her best year yet.

After what has been a traumatic few months, the former Geordie Shore star tells Closer she has come out fighting with a no-nonsense attitude and a hot new man – ex- TOWIE hunk Ercan Ramadan – to help heal the pain. And she reveals close pal Pete Wicks has helped her get back on the dating scene.

BOUNCING BACK

“I’ve had a rough time recently, but I do believe the best way to heal is living well. I’m dating again – Pete kept setting me up, he said he couldn’t look at me being miserable any longer!” says Vicky, 31.

“It’s early days, but I’m happy and having a very nice time. I’m feeling more back to myself now and enjoying life again. I’m going to go on holiday, I’m going to drink cocktails, I’m going to work hard. I’m going to be successful – and I’m going to be very f**king happy!”

Vicky’s positive outlook is in stark contrast to last month’s reality show The Break Up, where TV cameras laid bare her heartbreak after her relationship to businessman John, 31, imploded.

The couple called off their two-year romance and plans to wed after John was pictured cosying up to several women while on holiday in Dubai last November. Despite her devastation, Vicky tells us she won’t let anything she has experienced lose her faith in relationships.

She says, “It’s been a painful few months, but I can’t allow one bad chapter in my life to change my whole story. In the past, I’ve always bounced back and I will bounce back exactly the same – I refuse to let anything take away my belief in love.”

While the prospect of documenting a painful break-up on TV would be horrifying for most people, Vicky insists it was a healing process – and she credits regular sessions with TV therapists Nik and Eva Speakman for helping her through her darkest days.

“The Speakmans are inspirational people,” she says. “I see them two or three times a year regardless, just to make sure I’m on top of stuff. They’ve helped me a lot.”

PEOPLE PLEASING

Vicky’s hopes of making a fresh start in 2019 with a family holiday in Mexico to celebrate her sister Laura’s wedding hit the skids when she was forced to hit back at online trolls who body-shamed her size 8-10 curves – and even accused her of trying to steal the limelight from the bride by “blocking” her in a photo.

“It was heartbreaking,” admits Vicky, who explained that her sister had asked her to stand at an angle to hide a mark on her wedding dress. “Bad pap pictures aren’t great. The breakdown of a relationship is not great either, but the most hurtful thing for me was people insinuating that I was trying to take the shine away from Laura, who is the most important person in my life.

“There are some people who just want to hate me, but I’ve made a promise this year to stop trying to convince people to like me.”

Vicky, who had been planning her own wedding to John later this year before they split, admits attending her sister’s nuptials

without him by her side was at times bittersweet, but says the whole family had a ball.

She says, “I took my best friend Gav along instead. Gav is so fun and my family love him – we spent the whole time laughing, which was just what I needed.”

SUPPORTIVE FRIENDS

Vicky’s friends and family have been a “lifeline” since the split, among them Ferne Mccann – who herself turned to Vicky after own dramatic break-up from ex Arthur Collins in 2017.

“Ferne returned the favour tenfold!” says Vicky. “Pain turns women into warriors! I’ve got a girl crush on Ferne – she’s strong and resilient, and a brilliant mother.”

After a grim 2018, as well as a bumpy start to 2019, the former I’m A Celeb! winner is finally feeling positive about the future. She’s recently launched a new clothing collection with fashion brand Goddiva, and has several TV projects in the pipeline.

“I’ve been a bit scared of reality TV since Geordie Shore,” she admits. “I felt it was a terrible representation of who I really am. But doing The Break Up helped me see that there are positives to doing it. Geordie Shore was very toxic, whereas this was very positive, so I would love to do more.

“Everything I do now is for me, it’s about becoming better and stronger. I’m not going to allow the negativity to take over – 2019 is going to be a great year!”

Vicky Pattison x Goddiva SS19 is available online at goddiva.co.uk #Vpxgoddiva

‘I can’t allow one bad chapter to change my whole story’