Reality TV star Joey Essex says he would ‘consider’ going head-to-head with MMA fighter Conor McGregor ‘if the money
was right’.
In an interview with the Irish Mail on Sunday this weekend, Essex – the star of The Only Way Is Essex – said he would risk losing the pretty-boy looks that have made him a massive star by stepping into the Octagon with McGregor.
‘Would I take on Conor McGregor in a fight? It all depends. Doesn’t it depend on what’s on the table?’ Essex told the
MoS during his trip to Dublin this week.
Pic Brian McEvoy
‘I mean if the money was right, yeah, sure I’d consider it. Sure what is there to lose…’ he laughed. ‘Never say never. That’s
what I say.’
The 34-year-old was speaking after reports this week that he is being lined up to enter the celebrity boxing circuit with talks on a £1m (€1.3m) fight with Tommy Fury, KSI or Jake Paul said to be under way.
The newly-single star, who was partying in Dublin just hours after news broke he had split from his longterm glamorous girlfriend, Jessy Potts, also said he is not surprised Irish contestants tend to punch above their weight on reality TV shows.
‘Irish people just have such a great sense of humour; I think that’s probably why a lot of the Irish do well on UK reality shows. And just do well in the UK in general. ‘That’s why I love coming to Ireland. Nobody takes themselves too seriously. The Irish
people have a good personality. Everyone is very humble.
Essex also had words of praise for Irish reality star and podcaster Vogue Williams, who appeared in Made in Chelsea, a more upmarket version of the show. ‘Vogue’s deadly. She’s really cool. I know Vogue from around. She’s really done great for herself. She’s super fun,’ he said.
Speaking at Iconic Bronze’s end-of-summer party at the Odeon in Dublin, Essex also said that Longford’s Maura Higgins left,
would get his vote for ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here’.
The reality star was commenting on rumours Higgins may be entering the jungle later this year. And Essex – who came fourth in the show’s 2013 series –believes she would be a perfect fit.‘I think Maura would be great,’ he said. ‘I think she’d be amazing in there. She has the personality for it. I think she’d enjoy it.’
The pair were briefly romantically linked after they were photographed kissing at the Pride of Britain Awards in 2022,
fuelling speculation they were a couple. But Essex insists they were ‘just good friends’.
‘I saw her the other day briefly, just said hello to her at the National Television Awards. I walked past her and said hi. She actually lives around the corner from me. She lives literally about a minute‘s drive away so we sometimes bump into each other.’
