HE is one of the industry’s most unlikely Lotharios and has a black book of exes which would be the envy of most people.
But if batting off admirers left, right and centre wasn’t already a bit of a chore for Joey Essex – it seems he has now found himself in the middle of a love triangle with two very attractive women.
After growing close to his Dancing On Ice pro partner Vanessa Bauer, Joey’s ex-missus, model Lorena Medina, has claimed he is still very much in touch with her.
Lorena said of Joey: “We have been speaking a bit romantically.
“Joey told me he always thinks about me.
“He said that he hasn’t been able to find that connection with anyone since me and I said, ‘Me too. I haven’t found it yet either.’
“Joey said, ‘Well, if you come to London I’ll come to see you.’
“We both know the attraction is there – the constant love is still there – but I am in different countries working on my singing career and he is in England.
“The saying goes, ‘When there is passion and fire there are still some ashes, and we do have that though.”
Yes, Lorena – but sometimes it’s better to leave the cinders where they belong.
Lorena dated Joey for a number of months before dumping him back in 2020 after finding out about a wild night out he had with pop star Rita Ora.
The pair hadn’t spoken for years until seven months ago – when Lorena says she made contact after a drunken night out in Columbia.
She added: “I’d had a few Tequilas! We still had a group chat from Ex In The Beach so I found his number on that and rang because I missed him.
“He picked up and said, ‘hello. Who is this?’ When I said it was Lorena he said, ‘Oh my gosh, darling, are you OK?’
“We never really got any closure when we split so it was nice to be back in touch.”
After Joey was paired with German pro Vanessa at the end of last year during training for Dancing On Ice, they have naturally grown close.
But despite the pair going on a string of dates last month, Joey has played down their romance.
He said on Good Morning Britain earlier this week: “I’m single, Vanessa’s single.
“We go to the ice every day, it’s cold, do you know what I mean?
“We’ve got to keep each other warm! But yeah, it’s all good.”
The pair are due to perform again on the hit ITV show this weekend.
Joey and Vanessa impressed during their first performance, with the couple now second favourites to win the skating competition.
Former Olympic gymnast Nile Wilson is the bookies frontrunner to come out on top.
Nile is paired with professional skate partner Olivia Smart.
