Vicky Pattison sheds light on her married life, husband Ercan Ramadan, and other matters surrounding her relationship with her husband.
Warm, articulate, very funny and, you soon realise, with a big heart, Vicky Pattison is hard not to like. When we catch up with her at home, the Geordie reality star turned TV and radio presenter is, in her own words, “an open book” – refreshing in these times of media-savvy celebs who weigh every word.
As the 37-year-old talks exclusivey to Ok! about her new fashion range for Little Mistress at Matalan, and other exciting work projects, she also opens up about everything from her marriage to Ercan Ramadan and their plans for a family to her ongoing battles with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) – which she says turns her into “someone she doesn’t recognise”.
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“Six months after we got together, we started living as man and wife – with our furry babies,” laughs Vicky, when we ask about married life, six months after their wedding in Puglia, Italy, which followed an official ceremony in London last August. “Everybody jokes that we moved really fast, but when you know, you know. I wasn’t a spring chicken when I met Ercan – by north-east standards, I was a spinster!”
The former Geordie Shore star is loving the security of being 31-year-old Ercan’s wife, admitting that it may sound “old-fashioned” to some, but she can live with that. “Everything’s fast and transient these days. Finding a safe space is everything, someone with whom the noise is not so loud… he’s the best. I always wanted to be settled, loved and happy.”
And Vicky acknowledges that, on paper, Ercan is the opposite of the men she used to go for – but is what she needed. “For years I thought if a relationship was going to work, I’d need a real alpha male, because I was a lot to handle,” she says. “I tried relationships with those people, but I’ve realised, the loudest person in the room is often the most insecure. I was left with heartache every time.
After a difficult breakup, Ercan appeared to be something completely different when we first met. It wasn’t a calculated choice – I just thought he was a wicked bit of kit! So attractive. I came to the realization that I needed softening, slowening, and being kind to others over time. “Ercan will walk into a room and not command instant attention – but he’ll leave that room with everyone knowing his name and realising he’s the nicest man ever”.
Her marriage is a “breath of fresh air” – Ercan allows her to shine, but is “his own brilliant person at the same time” she says – and there’s a real “yin and yang” energy between them. We are in love with one another despite our differences. He’s allowing me to be calmer, more composed, and reflective. I like to think I’m making him more ambitious and proactive”.
As for children, Vicky was very open about freezing her eggs at 35, and thinks they will start trying for children in the next year or two. “My mam had me at 30, geriatric back in her day… So if I can get one in before 40, I’ll be over the moon,” she laughs. “Everyone thought we’d try for kids quite quickly – so did we! But we’re going to enjoy being married, for at least a year. I’d love a honeymoon first! A little week in the Caribbean would be lovely. We’re just desperate to sleep in the same bed together. I sleep with the dogs [they have two] and he sleeps in the spare room!”
Ercan, one of four boys, would love a “football team” of sons, says Vicky, while she, coming from “a long line of women who have women”, imagines a daughter first. Of her own childhood, Vicky tells us she was brought up by her mum Caroll, and that her dad is an alcoholic and “not a well man” – though she adds quickly, “He’s also a great man and a great dad.” Both parents have taught her vital lessons about life.
“Mum taught me strength and resilience, she told me never to compromise in my pursuit of happiness. She continued. She has gone through a lot. She tried to make her marriage work for a long time, and make him well – until she couldn’t”. She and her father continue to be very close. She later cheated on a partner she adored, but she never gave up hope. That’s a huge lesson for a young woman to learn. “
From her father, about whom she made the moving Channel 4 documentary Alcohol, Dad And Me in 2022, Vicky believes she has learnt that there is no shame in showing vulnerability. “He’s 6ft 2, a unit of a Geordie man, who used to do more one-handed press-ups in bars than Rocky. He’d cry with me watching a Disney film. He’ll talk about his illness openly, in the hope it helps others. I understood gender roles could be reversed and it’s made me the woman I am. I’m very proud of both my parents.”
On the work front, Vicky has just hung up her headphones at Heart Radio North East, where she hosted a weekday drive-time show from 4-7pm. Now, she has a “big new gig” on Heart – presenting a national show on Saturdays. The I’m A Celeb winner says it’s “amazing but bittersweet”, as she confesses it had always been her dream to raise a family back home.
” I’m a proud Geordie girl. I pondered, “I’ll move back north, do my radio show, and then I can have kids!” Have this lovely little life up there for three, four hours each day. So I’m shelving that dream for a couple of years. In the future, my family and I want to relocate back north. “But I was really fortunate that Heart wanted to work for me at home. I’m still that north-east voice on the radio. I’m anxious because there will be a lot more listeners and I’ll always be worried that I’ll say something inappropriate.
Vicky’s tell-it-like-it-is nature is one of the reasons so many people love her. It’s also given her the drive and courage to make hard-hitting documentaries, her most recent being about the deepfake porn industry. “Meeting the victims, handling such heavy subject matter… It took a toll on my mental health, but I really stand by the decision we made to highlight a topic that was largely unspoken about.”
On a brighter note, Vicky is looking forward to embracing something totally different as the host of Channel 4 dating show The Honesty Box, which comes to our screens at the end of April. “It’s got all the drama of our fave reality shows with a new twist – AI technology,” she says.
“We use a lie detector, so you’ve got nowhere to hide – it’s so clever. We answer the age-old question – is honesty the best policy in relationships? I’ve always believed it was, but no spoilers…” she teases. Away from the limelight, Vicky is still struggling with PMDD, something she’s been admirably honest about to her 5.5 million Instagram followers. “Social media is difficult – and we’re the guinea pig generation. I’ve noticed myself falling into the trap; my Insta was looking a bit polished. Expect a big reality dump from me on there soon,” she smiles.
On the subject of PMDD, Ercan, she says sadly, finds it difficult when she’s having her “spicy PMDD weeks” where she hates “everybody and everything – and he’s at the top of that list”, but they’re both learning. She says, “I have favorite movies ready to go, hot water in the fridge, and on standby.” It has taken some time. Every month he watches me go from this strong, confident, busy woman who loves her life to a scared little girl, consumed by anxiety. I change into a person he and I are unfamiliar with. That is difficult.
However, Little Mistress and Vicky are currently in a good place and very proud of their fashion collaboration. She has been shopping with her mother since she was a child at Matalan, where it will be available. Vicky says it feels good that her fans can go and pick up her clothes without breaking the bank. Women typically place last in the shopping pecking order. I’ve always been frugal, having never been a big designer gal. I’m really proud I’m involved in making stuff that other women feel brilliant in. I’m “buzzing like an old fridge”!
Admitting that even getting out her front door is a nightmare some mornings (“and I don’t even have kids yet!”), she adds, “Women have enough going on…Matalan is a one-stop-shop and this collection makes you feel like a million dollars – I’m loving all the soft tailoring. The hot-pink two-piece? I can already see myself wearing it on Lorraine or This Morning!”
Looking back at her wilder days, Vicky laughs at some of the fashion faux pas she made, admitting there was a whole period of her twenties when she looks back and thinks, “What the hell were you thinking”?! She laughs, “They were mostly around fake tans, though.” I spent about ten years being “positive radioactive,” and I genuinely believed that “more is more.” I have flashbacks of me with peroxide blonde hair looking like a cockatoo, with my mates doing the whole ‘ underwear is outerwear ‘ thing”.
Vicky, however, has no regrets about it. There were plenty of “cringe” moments, but no regrets. I was living my best life and it’s all a part of the journey. That’s not what it’s all about, right?”
From Thursday, April 3, 2019, Matalan will be able to purchase the Vicky Pattison x Little Mistress collection in both physical stores and online.
Source: Mirror
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