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Joey Donald Essex (born 29 July 1990)[2] is an English television personality. He came to prominence for his appearances on the ITV reality series The Only Way Is Essex (2011–2013). He went on to appear on various reality television shows, including Splash! (2013), I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (2013), The Jump (2015), Celebs Go Dating (2016–2019, 2021), Celebrity Ex on the Beach (2020), Dancing on Ice (2023), and Love Island (2024).
Joey Essex | |
|---|---|
 Essex at Ullswater Community College in 2017 | |
| Born | Joey Donald Essex[1] 29 July 1990 |
| Education | West Hatch High School |
| Occupation | Television personality |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Relatives |
|
Essex attended West Hatch High School in Chigwell, Essex.[3] He left school in 2006, having received a U in Drama, a C in Art and a D in Design & Technology at GCSE. Ten years later, as part of a television series, he added a D in General Studies to his qualifications, commenting that "I still don't really know what GCSE stands for."[4]
Television
Essex first appeared in The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) as a supporting cast member in the second series with his cousin Chloe Sims but was then promoted to a main cast member in the third series. In 2011, the TOWIE cast recorded and released a single titled "Reem".[5] In 2013, Essex competed in the first series of Splash! where he was eliminated during the "splash-off" in the second heat against television presenter Charlotte Jackson.[6] On 13 November 2013, it was announced that Essex had quit The Only Way Is Essex.[7] Essex also appeared in the thirteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!,[8] and was voted out on 6 December 2013 after 20 days in the jungle, finishing in fourth place.[9]
In March 2014, Essex starred in a one-off documentary called Educating Joey Essex, taking place in South Africa, narrated by Phillip Schofield. ITV2 later ordered a full series that began in June 2014.[10] In 2016, ITV announced that the series has been picked up for a seven part second series; the series aired in the summer of that year with the first episode titled "The Queen's 90th Birthday".[11] In 2015, Essex won the second series of Channel 4's reality show The Jump in 2015, and in 2016, Essex took part in the E4 reality dating series Celebs Go Dating. It was later confirmed that Essex would return to the show for its second series in 2017.[12]
In 2017, he ranked in fourth place on the Essex Power 100 list, being named the fourth most powerful person in Essex.[13] In 2018, Essex was a guest in the fourth series of BBC One's Michael McIntyre's Big Show. In 2020, Essex appeared on the second series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, as well as MTV's Celebrity Ex on the Beach.[14] In 2021, he appeared in the E4 series Celebs Go Dating: The Mansion.[15]
In 2022, he participated in the eighth season of the Australian version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, entering the camp as an intruder in the second episode and finishing the show in sixth place.[16][17] In 2023, Essex came second place on the fifteenth series of Dancing on Ice.
In June 2024, Essex entered the Love Island villa as a contestant on the eleventh series. He entered on the evening of Day 1 as the first "bombshell" of the series. Essex is the first celebrity to appear on the revived version of the show.[18]
Other ventures
On 8 March 2013, Essex launched a hair products range, Joey Essex: D'Reem Hair.[19][20] On 23 March 2013, he opened his shop Fusey in Brentwood.[21] The shop closed in 2016. On 12 September 2013, Essex launched two fragrances, Fusey aftershave for men and My Girl perfume for women.[22] In February 2016, Essex appeared in adverts for Batchelors Cup-a-Soup.[23] In May 2017, it was announced that Essex would be launching a clothing line titled DAFDEA.[24]
Essex was engaged to fellow TOWIE cast member Sam Faiers, but later split up. They reconciled later in 2012.[25] He then proposed to Faiers again in March 2013 and she accepted. However, the couple split up again on-screen in June 2013 following several arguments between the pair. In October 2014, they announced they had split up "for good".[26]
In June 2012, Essex was mugged at knifepoint in Hammersmith, London.[27]
Essex, whose mother took her own life when he was ten years old, has been an ambassador for Child Bereavement UK since 2014.[28] He addressed her suicide and his grief in the BBC Three documentary Joey Essex: Grief and Me broadcast on 3 June 2021.[29]
Essex moved to Dubai in 2023, following his stint on Dancing on Ice, after thieves reportedly broke into his home in January 2023.[30]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2011–2013 | The Only Way Is Essex | 109 episodes; series 2–10[31] |
| 2013 | Splash! | Contestant; series 1 |
| I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! | Contestant; series 13 | |
| 2014–2016 | Educating Joey Essex | Presenter |
| 2015 | The Jump | Contestant; series 2 (winner) |
| 2016–2019 | Celebs Go Dating | Participant (series 1–2); Online presenter (series 4–5) |
| 2018 | Five Star Hotel | Contestant[32] |
| 2019 | Can I Improve My Memory? | Television special |
| MTV Cribs UK | 1 episode | |
| Celebrity MasterChef | Contestant | |
| 2020 | Celebrity Ex on the Beach | Main cast |
| Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins | Contestant | |
| 2021 | Celebs Go Dating: The Mansion | Main cast |
| Joey Essex: Grief and Me | Himself / presenter | |
| 2022 | I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Australia | Contestant; season 8 |
| All Star Shore | Contestant; season 1 | |
| 2023 | Dancing on Ice | Contestant; series 15[33] |
| 2024 | Love Island | Contestant; series 11 |
- Guest appearances
- All Star Family Fortunes (25 December 2011) – Contestant (TOWIE vs Benidorm) – 1 episode
- The Xtra Factor (2011) – Guest
- 8 Out of 10 Cats (11 November 2011) – Panellist – 1 episode
- Daybreak (2011, 21 February 2013) – 2 episodes
- Loose Women (2011) – Guest – 1 episode
- This Morning (17, 31 August, 15 December 2011, 30 November 2012, 21 February 15 July, 12 December 2013, 28 October 2014) – Guest – 1 episode
- The Million Pound Drop Live (2012) – Contestant, with Sam Faiers[34]
- Celebrity Juice (29 March & 27 September 2012, 11 April 2013, 15 May & 11 December 2014, 19 March & 22 October 2015, 5 May & 27 October 2016, 18 May & 26 October 2017, 3 May, 1 November & 13 December 2018, 14 November 2019 and 16 & 23 April 2020) – Panellist –
- The Big Quiz (15 April 2012) – Panellist
- All Star Mr & Mrs (22 May 2013) – Contestant, with Sam Faiers
- Through the Keyhole (28 September 2013) – Celebrity homeowner – 1 episode
- Through the Keyhole (4 October 2014) – Panellist – 1 episode
- The Cube: Celebrity Special (11 April 2014) – Contestant[35][36]
- Viral Tap (27 April 2014) – Guest
- Utterly Outrageous Frock Ups (2014) – Guest
- 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (12 September 2014) – Dictionary Corner
- Britain's Got More Talent (29 May 2015) – Panellist
- Celebrity Benchmark (26 September 2015) – Benchmarker
- Release the Hounds (31 October 2015) – Halloween Special – 1 episode
- The Crystal Maze (30 June 2017)
- CelebAbility (13 July 2017) – Contestant – 1 episode
- The Chase (11 November 2017) – Celebrity special
- Michael McIntyre's Big Show (1 December 2018) – Midnight Gameshow Guest
- Through the Keyhole (16 February 2019) – Celebrity homeowner
- Just Tattoo of Us (Series 5) - Guest host – 1 episode
- Michael McIntyre's The Wheel (December 2020) – Celebrity expert on Dating
- Michael McIntyre's Big Show (27 January 2024) – Guest
Album
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Joey Essex Presents Essex Anthems |
|
Singles
| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| "Reem" | 2011 | — | Non-album singles |
| "Last Christmas" (featuring cast of TOWIE series 3) |
33 | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
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