Pete Wicks fights back tears as he tells partner Jowita ‘I’m so sorry’ after dance is branded a ‘disaster’

STRICTLY Come Dancing viewers watched an emotional Pete Wicks struggle to hold back tears tonight after his "disaster" Waltz.

The former TOWIE star, who has been criticised for his lack of dancing skill, has spoken about his appreciation of fans who have kept him in the competition through public votes.

In his pre-performance video tape, Pete admitted he feels overwhelmed by the support he’s received.

He said: "No words will be enough for me to describe how grateful and humbled I am to still be here.

"Every time my name gets called, I know it’s down to the people who voted, and I wish I knew how to repay you.

"All I can do is keep dancing and try my best."

Sadly, his best may not have been enough, as tonight's performance saw him land at the bottom of the leaderboard.

The Waltz began smoothly, showcasing Pete’s improvements, but he made some mistakes during the routine’s final moments.

A devastated Pete clung onto his dance partner after the Waltz had ended, telling Jowita "I'm so sorry" over and over.

The apology wasn't enough to spare him the critique of the judges, who were less than impressed by his performance.

Despite Anton Du Beke telling Pete: "I’m not going to get hyper-critical of you", he admitted "it was a bit of a disaster down there" before praising Pete’s dancing out of hold as "gorgeous".

Craig Revel Horwood wasn’t as forgiving, noting: "You don’t have the swing and sway, the footwork is shoddy, and you went completely wrong."

He did have some words of encouragement for the reality star though, adding: "Bizarrely, that didn’t bother me because the storytelling was amazing."

Overall Pete received a low score of 26, including a harsh 5 points from Craig.