Pete Wicks admits he's 'not happy' within himself and struggles to appreciate his mainstream TV success because of persistent low moods.
The reality star has become something of a household name following his stint on long-running show The Only Way Is Essex, with a subsequent appearance on Strictly Come Dancing and his close friendship with Sam Thompson endearing him to millions.
But despite his success, Wicks, 36, says he is frequently plagued by feelings of intense sadness.
'I'm sad at the minute and have been for a really, really long time,' he told close friend Thompson during the latest instalment of his Pete Wicks: Man Made podcast.
'Trying to get out of that is very, very difficult, and I think there's a lot of people that feel that way, you know?
'I've said it similarly about you. From the outside we've got f***ing great lives, great lives, and we are so, so blessed.
Pete Wicks admits he's 'not happy' within himself and struggles to appreciate his mainstream TV success because of persistent low moods
Wicks has become something of a household name following his stint on The Only Way Is Essex, with a subsequent appearance on Strictly Come Dancing endearing him to millions
'But it's when you kind of sit at home on your own that none of that really matters, because you're not appreciating it, and it's very hard to appreciate things when you are not happy within yourself.'
Wicks previously admitted his former Strictly Come Dancing partner Jowita Przystał had become 'one of the most important people in his life,' after his 'overwhelming' stint on the show.
The former TOWIE star was dubbed an unlikely signing when he took part in the BBC show last year, but became such a fan-favourite, he made it all the way to the semi-finals.
Speaking to MailOnline, Wicks himself admitted he thought he'd be the first celebrity to be voted off the show, having entered Strictly with zero dance experience.
But the star did the opposite, winning over viewers with a string of light-hearted performances, including a viral Samba dressed as George Of The Jungle, and a hilarious Cha Cha Cha in Blackpool.
He said: 'I thought as soon you could vote people out, what is it week two? I thought I'd be gone, I genuinely did and that would be it, and every week after that I thought I'd be gone.
'I certainly never expected to get to the semi-finals and be that far along and have that experience for such a long time, but I was very fortunate, it was very overwhelming.
'A lot of that, if I'm totally honest, is down to Jowita, she was the best partner I could have had, I was with her on Saturday night, she's become one of the most important in my life. She's one of my best mates, and I adore her.
'I'm sad at the minute and have been for a really, really long time,' he told close friend Thompson during the latest instalment of his Pete Wicks: Man Made podcast
Former Made In Chelsea star Thompson listened as his close friend discussed his struggles with low moods
'She had to put up with me, she dragged me through it, because it certainly wasn't the dancing!'
He added: 'I didn't take myself too seriously but I took the show really seriously, and I took the process really seriously, I took the learning really seriously.
'I enjoy learning things, and that was my favourite part of the whole thing, obviously I didn't take myself too seriously because I knew I wasn't the best dancer, and that's why I was dressed as George of the jungle and wearing pink PVC trousers.
'I don't think anyone expected me to be doing that – it was like a fever dream!'
If you have been affected by anything in this article, call Samaritans on: 116 123.
Wicks previously admitted his former Strictly Come Dancing partner Jowita Przystał (pictured together on the show) had become 'one of the most important people in his life'
