Yahoo News Dancing on Ice's Wes, Megan and Vanessa : the drama explained
Love Island's Wes Nelson made his highly-anticipated skating debut on ITV's Dancing on Ice, and there's been a snowball of drama ever since.
Confused about what's been going on, if Wes and Megan are still together or whether the whole thing has been blown out of proportion? Don't worry, we're here to explain it all and to put any rumours to bed.
Wes Nelson and Vanessa Bauer
In case you aren't aware, Wes has been paired with professional figure skater and choreographer Vanessa on the current series of Dancing on Ice.
Much like the long-rumoured (and every-now-and-then proven) Strictly Come Dancing curse, many have been keeping an eagle-eye on the celebrity skaters to see whether or not the Dancing on Ice curse is a 'thing'.
With this in mind, a lot of viewers and tabloids seemed to jump on the praise handed to Wes and his skating partner Vanessa following their very first on-ice routine (January 13), as they were branded a "beautiful-looking couple" by judge Christopher Dean.
Megan Barton-Hanson's 'reaction' in the audience
Wes's girlfriend Megan, whom he met on Love Island last year, was sat in the DoI audience. Unfortunately there was a momentary cut-away shot (where she happened to not be smiling), and many put two and two together and made five.
The reality star was accused of looking 'sour-faced', with many marrying this up with her boyfriend's performance and the subsequent comments.
"I woke up Monday morning and it felt like I was being attacked," she said of the reaction. “I sat there during the show and I was so happy for him and it must have been 0.2 seconds that my face was relaxed and I wasn’t smiling – and now I’m bitter and a sour ex? What the hell?"
Megan also described how she felt "backed into a corner" and "was only there to support Wes" and didn't want to become the focus.
Meanwhile, Wes also hit out at reports of Megan looking unimpressed, posting to Instagram: "Give the damn girl a break... I can assure you she's fully supportive of me and my career. She's human and can't smile for two hours in a row."
Does Vanessa Bauer have a boyfriend?
A post shared by Louis (@louisnathaniel__) on Jun 1, 2018 at 8:43am PDT
Things get a teeny bit more complicated from here, particularly when looking at the circumstances surrounding Vanessa's apparent 'split' from boyfriend Louis Nathaniel.
On Monday (January 14), Megan posted – but then quickly deleted – an Instagram Story where she called out the pro skater for the timing of her break-up announcement, alleging that it had been a "tactical" move.
Tagging both Vanessa and Wes in the post, Megan wrote: "Love that you decide to announce your breakup with your boyfriend on the night of your first performance with my boyfriend!
"You've never reached out to me once or invited me to watch you train, it pained you to introduce yourself to me last night you didn't even look me in the eye LOL hope the tactical breakup got you the headlines you wanted."
It's worth noting that, despite the rumoured news being published in The Sun, Vanessa doesn't actually appear to have made a public declaration of any break-up, and Louis Nathaniel doesn't seem to have spoken out either.
Are Megan Barton-Hanson and Vanessa Bauer feuding?
After deleting her Instagram comment, Megan gave an interview in which she accused Vanessa of having a "lack of respect" for her relationship with Wes.
Speaking about her Instagram comments, Megan admitted to The Sun: "I was riled up, I let my passion and anger get the better of me but there’s no manual.
“I don’t want to be a possessive girlfriend. I want her to reach out to me. I’ve had no communication with her for the past three months. I’m not jealous; it is just a lack of respect. I was pushed over the edge."
Megan went on to say that having your boyfriend spend 12 hours a day with another woman was not an ideal situation and "a little introduction from Vanessa would have gone a long way".
A post shared by Vanessa Bauer (@vanessabauer_skates) on Jan 4, 2019 at 12:55pm PST
“Dancing on Ice is very romantic and all about looking into each other’s eyes and parading around on the ice and being loved up together – it’s not easy to watch," she added.
Following Megan’s Instagram post, Vanessa took to her own Instagram to share a quote about female empowerment, something which also didn't sit well with Megan.
“She claims to be a strong woman and that she empowers women but she’s shown me zero respect," she said.
“If you’re going to preach empowerment then surely she would have held the olive branch out and introduce herself to me instead of pretending that I don’t exist?"
Wes Nelson and Megan Barton-Hanson: Are they still together?
At first it seemed that they had overcome the drama, with Megan speaking out on Loose Women (January 17), to say that she trusted Wes. She also urged everyone to focus on him rather than "the politics behind it".
A post shared by Vanessa Bauer (@vanessabauer_skates) on Jan 11, 2019 at 5:40am PST
"I think they're going to smash it," she said of Wes and Vanessa on the show, before revealing that the two girls are now "resolving" the issue between them.
However, in news that shocked many Love Island fans, Megan Barton Hanson took to Instagram to announce their break-up a week or so later.
"It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate," the statement read.
Megan still showed up in the Dancing on Ice audience in the episode that followed, so they're clearly still being supportive of one another.
Dancing on Ice continues this Sunday (January 20) on ITV.
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