Pete Wicks' wild career so far - from TV bad boy to much-loved Strictly star

Strictly Come Dancing star Pete Wicks' career has been on the up ever since he made his debut as a bad boy local in The Only Way Is Essex. We take a look at the loveable Lothario's journey

Pete Wicks is winning over both the judges and viewers at home with Strictly and away from the TV dance contest, he's a huge podcast star too.

But the 36-year-old's career in showbiz started from more humble beginnings, with a blink-and-you-'ll-miss-it appearance on The Only Way is Essex. Pete was introduced on the show as a pal of James Lock, better known as "Lockie" and viewers loved him so much he changed career from 16-hour days running his own company to a reality star.

He is only the second Towie contestant, after Mark Wright, to be invited to appear in the primetime TV dance contest. In classic Pete tradition, he has now been romantically linked with professional partner Jowita Przystał.

Recent photos showed the pair appearing to kiss backstage in rehearsals, while on the floor they scored 26 for last week's Samba to the George of the Jungle theme tune.

Standing out from the rest of the cast with his long hair, tattoos and nickname "Pirate Pete", the star assumed he'd "cause a bit of trouble then go back to normal" when he made his Towie debut but this never happened. Pete enjoyed a fiery on/off relationship with Megan McKenna on the show and dated other stars including Shelby Tribble, Chloe Sims and Ella Rae Wise.

He was famously caught texting other women behind Megan's back right after gifting her a Rolex. But the naughty star remained loved by viewers for his quick wit and even his exes didn't stay mad at him for long.

He left the show after worrying he was "starting to become the Ian Beale of Towie, just this sort of drunk in the corner" but has remained thankful for the opportunities it gave him, including Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls and Celebrity MasterChef.

The star's TV career took off after the show, taking part in SAS: Who Dares Wins, where he knocked himself unconscious and broke his ribs during a challenge. He stripped off to raise awareness for cancer on The Real Full Monty and featured on Got Your Back, CelebAbility, Sunday Brunch, Celebrity Juice, and Supermarket Sweep.

But it was on Celebs Go Dating in 2019 where despite failing to find love, Pete struck up a friendship that changed his life with Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson. Fans loved their unlikely pairing and Pete, known for his moody persona, wrote in his new book Never Enough that his enthusiastic pal Sam had encouraged him to open up.

‘One of the loveliest things about Sam is he's very open about his feelings," he said. "Sam has been instrumental in making me more open." The duo began posting videos on their social media, with Sam encouraging grumpy Pete to learn the latest viral dance routines.

Their growing popularity led to Channel 4 show Pete and Sam’s Reality News and they launched a podcast, Staying Relevant, which saw them discuss their latest attempts to stay famous. Sam and Pete recently took the show on the road, selling out The London Palladium.

When Sam won I'm A Celeb last year, Pete was there to greet him as he came out of the jungle and Sam has returned the favour by showing up to watch his pal compete on Strictly. Pete says Sam's girlfriend Zara McDermott encouraged him to take part in the show, despite misconduct allegations relating to her training with pro partner Graziano Di Prima.

He is next set to fulfil a long-term ambition by presenting his own series, Pete Wicks: For Dog's Sake. "Up until a few months ago my main dream was to do a show with dogs and I was lucky enough to film for it this summer," he said of the upcoming series, which will see him work with the Dogs Trust charity to help rescue and rehome vulnerable dogs.

"Animals make me happy, they make me feel good. They live for the present and I think that's a beautiful thing we as humans don't really do. If we were more like animals that would be amazing!"