Strictly Come Dancing and former TOWIE heartthrob Pete Wicks opened up about his luck with the ladies and revealed why his future could be a lonely one as a ‘single dog dad’
Reality star and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Pete Wicks says best friends Sam Thompson and his girlfriend Zara McDermott think he’s a “lost cause”.
The curse of Strictly isn’t something former TOWIE star Pete Wicks needs to worry about. That’s because there’s no Mrs Wicks to get jealous as he gets up close and personal during performances and in training with professional dancer Jowita Przystał., who he is paired with on the BBC talent show.
The 36-year-old from Essex has a reputation as something of a ladies’ man and bad boy after starring in reality show TOWIE and while he’s never been short of admirers, his relationships never quite seem to go the distance. That could have something to do with his no nonsense approach to dating.
Pete, who describes himself as a “single dog dad” to his two pooches Eric and Peggy, is a firm believer in abruptly ending something that isn’t working. “I don’t understand people that are in three-month relationships all the time,” he told OK! magazine. “They fall in love every week. It doesn’t work out that way and you’re wasting time. just doesn’t work out. And I think you’re wasting a lot of time. So unless there’s a future in it, I cut it short pretty sharpish.”
Despite his rather brutal attitude to dating, Pete says he would love to settle down and get hitched in the future: “I mean, everything you do in life is better when you share it with someone you love,” he admits. “And I would love to find the right person and get married and do all that sort of stuff, but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. I’m quite happy on my own. So I’m not craving or desperate for it.”
Pete’s best friends are Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson, who he met on E4 show Celebs Go Dating in 2019, and his girlfriend, Love Island star and TV presenter Zara McDermott. After hitting it off with Sam the pair launched their hugely successful podcast Staying Relevant, which they took on a sell out tour. Pete grew close to Zara through his pal and he calls their dynamic a “weird little threesome”.
It doesn’t look like anyone will be added to the group any time soon either because he says his besties don’t even bother setting him up with anyone because they don’t reckon his chances. “No-one really tries to set me up because I think they think I’m a lost cause, which is fine,” he confesses sadly before adding: “But also, I think Sam and Zara quite like that it’s just me, they don’t want someone ruining the dynamic! Zara actually said to me recently, ‘I don’t know what I’ll do if you get a bird, because then there’ll have to be four of us!’. I think they’re basically gatekeeping me.”
There’s no doubt that Sam and Zara will be supporting Pete in the audience on the Strictly shows, just as he did for Zara when she appeared on last year’s show. She was paired with Graziano Di Prima and it later emerged that he physically and verbally abused her during training. Graziano was sacked by the BBC after disturbing video clips emerged of their rehearsals and he admitted kicking Zara. Despite this she shared her excitement at Pete’s inclusion in this year’s line up when it was announced. Commenting on Instagram she wrote: “This makes me so happy. You’re going to have the best time. I am so proud of you. I cannot wait to see you in some sparkles and maybe even some hot pants.”
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday nights on BBC1.
