Gemma Collins has said she is excited to entertain viewers when she appears on Dancing On Ice, and that she has proved people wrong by not quitting.
The star of The Only Way Is Essex has also said she has cried “a million and one times” while training for the series, which kicks off in January.
Collins, who quit I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! after just three days in 2014, said she understood the assumption from many people that she might quit the show early, but that she has a “fighting spirit”.
She said: “It’s all good TV, this is what it’s about, the GC’s all about the drama, isn’t she?
“I’m going to prove a lot of people wrong and that’s the bit I can’t wait for.
“If they said ‘we’re filming the show tomorrow, are you ready?’, (I’d say) ‘hell yes I’m ready!
“I’m not here to take part, I’m here to take over. I’ve got fighting spirit on this show.”
Collins added: “Everyone thought I was going to quit but I’m still here.
“It’s not like we’ve stopped our lives just to get on the ice. I’ve been doing a lot of work, we’ve all got families and Christmas.”
Collins, who is partnered with professional skater Matt Evers, said she was going to “smash it”.
On crying while training, Collins said it was “because you want to do it and you get frustrated”.
“You have to chip away at it, we’ve been doing two hours every day, all of us.”
Collins also revealed she has been kicked out of the Dancing On Ice stars’ group WhatsApp.
She said: “They blocked me from the WhatsApp group twice. I just tell it how it is, so I’ve been barred from the group twice.”
The #DancingOnIce Class of 2019! 😍 pic.twitter.com/IiiGuDfsF7
— Dancing On Ice (@dancingonice) November 5, 2018
But she added that there is “no bitchy atmosphere” between her and her co-stars.
Collins is among stars including Grease star Didi Conn, former Westlife singer Brian McFadden, Coronation Street actress Jane Danson, Love Island finalist Wes Nelson and Loose Women panellist Saira Khan taking to the ice when the new series – hosted by Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield – begins.
Dancing on Ice starts on ITV on January 6.