ESSEX BOY
Who is Strictly Come Dancing contestant and Towie star Pete Wicks?
PETE WICKS has made quite a name for himself since his rise to fame on The Only Way Is Essex.
The pint-sized reality star is now set wow on the Strictly Come Dancing dancefloor as part of the show's 2024 line-up.
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How tall is Pete Wicks and how old is he?
Pete Wicks was born on October 31, 1988.
He is from Harlow in Essex and is known for his long hair and tattoos and as a result, he's adopted the nickname "The Essex Pirate".
Pete is a successful businessman with a string of properties and growing businesses in his portfolio.
He is 5ft10 and attributes appearing short on TV to having super tall friends and co-stars.
When did Pete Wicks join Towie?
Pete joined the cast of Towie in 2015 and became a series regular in Season 15.
He was friends with co-star James Lock before appearing on the ITVBe show.
Pete left Towie in 2023, and has since appeared on other reality shows, including Celebs Go Dating.
Talking about his decision to quit the famous Essex reality show, he told the Not My Bagg podcast: "I'd been on it for quite a long time and I owe the show quite a lot.
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"The show was good for me for a lot of stuff that I do now.
"I was starting to become the Ian Beale of Towie, just this sort of drunk in the corner, so it was definitely time for me to f****** do one."
Maura Higgins & Pete Wicks: Love Island Meets Strictly Romance!
Who is Pete Wicks dating and who are his exes?
As of August 2024, Pete is reportedly dating Love Island legend Maura Higgins.
It came to light after they were spotted kissing at the Broadwick Soho Hotel.
An onlooker told The Sun, Pete came to join Maura at the posh five star hotel where she had been having lunch with friends.
They said: “Maura had been sitting on the terrace with friends for an hour before Pete arrived.
“After they’d sat there for a while Maura went in for a long kiss with Pete. It wasn’t the kind of kiss you’d give a friend, it was very passionate.
Dancing live in front of the nation every Saturday? Absolutely terrifying. But anyone who knows me knows I love a challenge.
Pete Wicks talks Strictly
“Maura and Pete seemed to be really into each other and kept looking into each other’s eyes before kissing again a number of times.
“When it got dark they moved into the hotel’s Flute bar and Pete sat with his arm around Maura all evening.
“They were all over each other. They looked totally in love and weren’t trying to hide it from anyone.”
Before finding fame, Pete dated former Ex on The Beach star Harriette Harper.
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He then reportedly had a fling off camera with Verity Chapman who appeared on the reality show.
Pete dated Megan McKenna during his time on Towie, with their tumultuous relationship documented on the show.
The pair split after a year-and-a half together when he was caught supposedly texting other women including Instagram model Jacqui Ryland.
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Pete then had another failed romance with Towie star Shelby Tribble, who dumped him as she felt like a “rebound” after his toxic relationship with Megan.
Another of Pete's ex-girlfriend's is Georgina Elizabeth Mullins.
They met on Celebs Go Dating, but they split not long after.
Pete also had an on/off romance with Towie co-star Chloe Sims.
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When will Pete Wicks appear on Strictly Come Dancing?
On August 7, 2024, it was announced that Pete had signed up to appear on the 2024 series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Talking about landing the gig, he said: "It's a mixture of excited and absolutely petrified, it's fear, you can see straight into my soul."
Pete added: “Dancing live in front of the nation every Saturday? Absolutely terrifying.
"But anyone who knows me knows I love a challenge and trying new things, so I'm genuinely looking forward to getting stuck in.”
The Towie star signed up to the BBC One show just weeks after his BFF Sam Thompson's girlfriend Zara McDermott claimed her Strictly dance partner Graziano Di Prima had hit, spat at and kicked her during rehearsals.
Who's confirmed for Strictly 2024?
WITH Strictly's 20th anniversary special airing in September, The Sun takes a look at which celebs have been confirmed so far:
- Olympic hero Sam Quek.
- Towie legend Pete Wicks.
- Love Island star Tasha Ghouri.
- Morning Live star Dr Punam Krishan.
- 80s legend and singer Toyah Willcox.
- Opera singer Wynne Evans.
- JLS singer JB Gill.
- Comedian Chris McCausland.
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