Katie Piper has shared some words of wisdom to the next batch of celebrities taking part in Strictly Come Dancing.
Loose Women's Katie Piper has spoken out about reports that her former co-panellist Stacey Solomon is set to join this year's Strictly Come Dancing line-up.
Whilst the professional dancers for the upcoming series have been revealed, the BBC is yet to officially confirm which celebrities will be strutting their stuff on the dancefloor, though Stacey's name has been linked with the show alongside rumoured contestants including Dani Dyer, Tom Parker Bowles, Paul C Brunson and Sir Mo Farah.
The X Factor icon, 35, has remained tight-lipped about the speculation, but she's now received some sage advice from her fellow Loose Women colleague.
In an exclusive interview, Katie - who took to the Strictly floor in 2018 partnered with Gorka Marquez before becoming the third celebrity eliminated - reflected on her experience, describing how challenging it was to begin training just months after welcoming her second child.
Despite this, she expressed her adoration for her time on the programme and, whilst acknowledging she's only encountered Stacey briefly and doesn't know her as intimately as other Loose Women stars, offered some encouraging words, urging potential Strictly contestants to "enjoy it"
"When are you ever going to get the chance ever again to dance with a professional dancer, in front of all those people? Strictly goes all out with the wigs, the makeup, all the costumes."
She explained: "So it's quite a unique opportunity to have and to wear all the stuff and seeing pictures and footage of yourself professionally dancing, if that's not your chosen career, it's quite an incredible world to dip into."
Despite her stint on the BBC dance competition, Katie, a mum-of-two, now finds it tricky to squeeze in time for watching the show amidst her bustling family life and other TV commitments, including her ITV breakfast show.
"I have a breakfast show on ITV and it starts at 8.25am so I'm not really this big Saturday night person," she confessed. "I work so much that I try and be with the kids on the weekends, I'll take them to swimming and then we'll go out and get some lunch.
"And then really in the evenings, I have to say, it's like proper mum mode where I'm tidying up, my eldest goes to bed at half eight or nine and I usually go up to bed because then I'm up early."
As her children grow, Katie is keen on ensuring the family has time to bond away from the whirlwind of daily life and social media. She's partnered with easyJet for their latest initiative.
The airline has introduced its "Airplane Mode" campaign aimed at encouraging families like Katie's to enjoy uninterrupted quality time together, free from the distractions of electronic gadgets and the bustle of everyday routines.
As part of the initiative, the airline has introduced a family card game involving conversation-sparking questions and prompts to share advice and meaningful experiences with each other, that will be handed out for free for families jetting off on holiday, available at airports across the UK from today (while stocks last).
"It's a brilliant initiative and it's so overdue," Katie said.. "We all understand the social media dangers for children, and I don't actually think it's all about putting the blame on kids. I think I speak for myself as a mum, we're guilty of always being on our phones and our children wanting to connect with us, and they can't."
Katie, like many parents, felt her concerns grow after watching the eye-opening Netflix series Adolescence. The show, along with the campaign, made her realise that simply chatting with kids might not cut it.
"You can't just be checking notifications and emails whilst you're trying to get them to confide in you, and you can't just accept them saying 'Oh no, I'm fine' when they get in from school and put their bag down.
"It was one of the most important pieces of television I'd seen in a while, and I got speaking to easyJet quite soon after that about this initiative."
She continued: "This is something I feel so passionate about, even if I wasn't doing this campaign."
