STEPHEN GATELY

Skating Partner: Kristina Lenko

Pop star Stephen Gately is nervous! And even advice from last year’s contestant David Seaman hasn’t eased his fears!

And even with the knowledge that his skating partner Kristina Lenko was in last years final with Stefan Booth he is still looking for a ‘rescue remedy’!

“I’m not actually looking forward to anything! I so nervous and worried and dreading the whole experience. I’m especially dreading having to skate in front of the public, I’ll have to swallow a bottle of Rescue Remedy before I go on!

“I met David Seaman and he said just enjoy it but he was saying how nervous he was. That didn’t help!

“I really want to be better and I’m trying to be better but it’s so difficult! Kristina is fab, I love her, she’s the sweetest girl and we have such a laugh. I’m so happy and she’s really cute!

“Skating is just so much harder, it looks very simple, you go on and fly around, but it’s not like that. It takes a lot of balance and knowledge of how the blades work to actually get the moves, the turns and stop. I’m still having problems stopping! I’ve done my (training) sessions every day and I’m still crap!”

“As soon as I knew I was going to do this, I started going to the gym. That’s slowly wilted away again now too. What with Christmas and all those parties, you’ve got to eat and drink so what can you do! I’m going to go on a strict diet for two weeks before (the live shows)!

But following fellow contestant, Andi Peter’s lead, Stephen does admit that he has a plan to help his skating!

“I’m also going to try and dance a lot more. I won the all Ireland disco dancing championship years ago so disco on ice that’s what I’m going to do!”

Kristina and celebrity partner Stefan Booth lost out in last year’s final to Gaynor Faye and Daniel Whiston, so is Stephen feeling the pressure this year?

“No I’m not pressured about that. I just want to get out there and not fall flat on my face and look half decent!”

With another popstar also in the celebrity line up does Stephen think it will be a battle of the boy bands?

“I don’t know…. I don’t want to be a rival to anyone. There are two members of boy bands in the show so in that case I will probably lose to Duncan. I think he’s going to be a better skater than me!

Having watched the last series, Stephen admits that he ‘loved watching Gaynor (Faye)’ and that ‘John Barrowman was good’ but how does he rate his chances of skating off with the title?

“Slim, slim, slim! I’m not very confident at all at the moment!” So Stephen is hoping Louis Walsh and his Boyzone band mates will be in the audience to cheer him on.