Tom Daley to make a Splash! with reality TV series
Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe, Joey Essex and Sugababe Jade Ewen are among the stars who will be taking the plunge in new reality ITV show Splash! Actress Tina Malone, comedians Dom Joly, Helen Lederer and Omid Djalili, and model Caprice will also take part in Tom Daley's programme, which will see the Olympic bronze medallist teaching the stars how to dive. Tom said the show would give viewers a great insight into the sport. He added: "Viewers will see just how difficult and scary diving is - wait till you see the look of terror on some of the celebrities' faces!" The line-up is completed by actor Jake Canuso, TV presenters Linda Barker, Jenni Falconer and Charlotte Jackson, Olympic ski jumper Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards, TV gardener Diarmuid Gavin and Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo. Presented by Gabby Logan and Vernon Kay, Splash! will see each contestant mix determination and drive as they choose which board to dive off to display the daredevil skills they have learned. They will then be given their scores from the judges - Tom Daley and Team GB's diving coach Andy Banks, comedienne, writer and actress Jo Brand and former Olympic diving medallist Leon Taylor - before the phone lines open for viewers to pick their favourite. Jade Ewen confessed she was so scared she was in tears when she started working on the series. She said: "I've never been able to swim very well. I hate water - it's a big fear for me, but I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to work with the best diving trainers in the country. I saw the trailer and it looked fantastic. I thought if it could help me become a bit braver, I'd love to do it." The singer continued: "At the beginning I hated it. I was crying because I was so scared of drowning. I wanted to give up, but my family talked me into continuing. The next day I tried one of the most difficult dives and thought, 'Actually, it's not so hard. I think I can do this.' Now I'm much more relaxed." Splash! starts on Saturday, January 5 at 7.15pm on ITV.
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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.