KIMBERLY WYATT ON SHOW RIVALS, COMPETITIVE
She’s had the Dancing On Ice judges purring thanks to her sensational skating but Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt says the best is yet to come as she vows: “I’m ready to turn up the heat.”
The sultry singer has been sitting pretty at the top of the leaderboard after coming out fighting in the ITV competition.
But despite regularly picking up the highest scores of the series, the 40-year-old has issued a warning shot to her rivals on the ice that they haven’t seen anything yet. In fact, the blonde bombshell is only just getting started.
She said: “You know, I’m ready to turn up the heat and bring out the performer I know I can be on the ice.
“I came into this really wanting to bring the fire but I realised the fire was going to take me to my bum every single time on the ice.
“So I started soft, then every week I’m just trying to turn up the heat ever so slightly. So hopefully we can get to that point of fierceness.”
Mum-of-three Kimberly and her professional partner Mark Hanretty have set the competition on fire since week one.
They opened movie week with a spectacular routine from
The Greatest Showman that saw them earn high praise from the judges, with Olympic legend Christopher Dean telling her:
“You bring so much commitment – when you’re out there you bring
100 per cent. I think you are the greatest show-woman.”
And she dazzled in week four of the competition with a powerful Argentine tango that saw her bag an incredible 37.5 points from the panel.
But despite the bravado, Kimberly admits she does struggle with her nerves backstage as she prepares to take to the ice live in front of the nation.
She said: “You really have to go into a little bit of warrior mode and talk
yourself into it. It’s nerve-wracking. I’ve never had to regulate my breathing in such a way like the deep breaths into the ribs. You have to keep calm, find your zen.
“There’s so many nerves and adrenaline and everything around you. So trying not to take that on as well as battle with your own feelings as well as wanting to just go out there and do your absolute best – it’s a lot to deal with.”
Tonight fans will see Kimberly and
Mark take on Don’t Rain On My Parade from stage show Funny Girl during the programme’s musicals week. While it’s not a sexy number like her femme fatale routine that left fans hot under the collar last weekend, the performer is going to have to rely on her partnership to get her through another week.
Many would think her time in one of the sexiest girlbands on the planet would make it easy to show off her raunchy side and get to grips with Mark on the ice. But Kimberly says she’s found it hard getting up close and personal with a man she’s only just got to know.
She said: “It’s tough because people know me as a Pussycat Doll and being a Doll is all about owning your space, owning your sensuality.
“It’s all about celebrating who you are and what you bring to the stage and being able to play the punk dog character, which is quite fierce.
“I love being a Pussycat Doll but this is just such a different thing and you are sharing space with someone you somewhat barely know.
“The wonderful thing is that Mark is just brilliant on the ice – the way he moves his body and the way he can dance, I have so much respect for him.
“I’m constantly just trying to match him and trying to reach that level he is at.”
Her competitive spirit coupled with the fact she’s dominating the competition has sparked speculation that she’s lost the support of the other celebrities on the show. It’s been rumoured that she’s being frozen out by her rivals, who are distancing themselves from her behind the scenes, with insiders branding her a diva.
But Kimberly isn’t on a one-woman mission to steal the limelight. She says she wants everyone to shine and believes former Strictly star Brendan Cole and dancer Regan Gascoigne are bringing out the best in her.
She said: “I can’t deny I am a very competitive person but it’s not necessarily to the detriment of my competitors. There’s nothing more I love than watching everybody go out there and smash it – it really makes me excited.
“I love seeing people shine. It’s part of what makes my heart sing. But when it comes to me, I just want to be able to go out there and shine and do me as well because, ultimately, we’re all here to put on a great show.”
So are the rumoured backstage rivalries bubbling behind the scenes?
“No,” she says firmly. “It’s such a scary experience. I feel like we have such a brilliant cast and the saving grace is knowing that however you feel somebody else must be feeling pretty much the exact same way.
“So, if anything, it’s just nice to know you’re not in it alone.
Everybody’s going through their own nerves, adrenaline and different things.
“You learn when and where to interject or keep your space and just allow everybody to have their own experience and be as much of a support as you can.
“Bez always shoots me a sweet little smile. I have a little connection with him. And Sally is just brilliant – I adore her, she’s a lovely ball of energy backstage.
“Brendan’s such a fierce competitor but I just love watching him on the ice. He, if anything, helps me raise my game. And Regan’s a sweetheart. I love the way his body moves and he’s such a sweet human.
“So, yeah, it’s really good vibes backstage, I must say.”
As Kimberly fights for a place in the show’s final next month, she reckons she wouldn’t stand a chance without the support of her family.
The Pussycat Doll married model Max Rogers, 39, in 2014 after three years together and they have three children – Willow, seven, Maple Lyla, four, and Ford Senna, two.
She admits it’s been tough juggling the show and her chaotic home life but praised her husband for picking up the slack.
She said: “This kind of takes over your life. When I’m home, I’m really tired and want to sleep and want to lay down and he’s just been brilliant.
“He’s really had to take a lot of the grunt work of school runs and kids and homework and dance classes.
“I can’t give him praise enough. I have the most amazing husband.
“When you do a show like this, it’s not just you, it’s the entire family who are involved. And I’m just so thankful to have his support through all of this.”
This kind of takes over your life. When I’m home, I’m really tired and just want to sleep