She dragged me through it” – Pete Wicks calls Strictly pro Jowita Przystał ‘one of the most important people in my life’ as he reflects on backlash, shock semi-final run, and how the ‘overwhelming’ experience changed him forever - suong

Pete Wicks has revealed his Strictly Come Dancing pro partner Jowita Przystał has become 'one of the most important people in his life,' after his 'overwhelming' stint on the show.

The former TOWIE star, 37, 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, Pete 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.

Reflecting on his time on Strictly, Pete, who has joined forces with Lynx to celebrate the launch of their new Lower Body Spray, credited his progression to his dance partner Jowita, and said they are still close friends, six months after the series ended.

Pete 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. 

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Pete Wicks has revealed his Strictly pro partner Jowita Przystał has become 'one of the most important people in his life,' after his 'overwhelming' stint on the show

'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. 

'She had to put up with me, she dragged me through it, because it certainly wasn't the dancing!'

'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 didn't really 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!'

While Pete's Strictly stint earned him many new fans, he also faced backlash from a select number of viewers, who complained he'd been voted to stay on the show over other celebrity couples who had scored higher.

But the star brushed off the complaints, telling MailOnline: 'I'm used to it, it doesn't matter what you do, if you're the type of personality that divides people, which I think I am, you're never going to please everyone.

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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

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Speaking to MailOnline, Pete himself admitted he thought he'd be the first celebrity to be voted off the show, having entered Strictly with zero dance experience

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But the star did the opposite, winning over viewers with a string of light-hearted performance, including a viral Samba dressed as George Of The Jungle

'It wasn't about pleasing everyone, it was about doing something for me, it was about not letting Jowita down, it was about the people around me who matter, and to try as best I could to make them proud.

'I think that's how I've managed all this stuff over 12 years, it's really the people around me that humble me, and as long as they're happy and safe I don't really care what everyone else thinks, I mean I probably wouldn't even like me if I wasn't me.

'With things like Strictly, people obsess over it, and that's amazing because you've got so many people that watch it, and so many amazing fans of Strictly and the show, but the problem with that, is that it's a dance show, it's a bit of entertainment. 

'People probably do need to slow down a little bit, this year it will be the same thing, you've got amazing people just going out there trying to do their best, and do something they've not necessarily done before, or something they're not confident doing, so I think as much support as they can get, I would urge people to give them as much support as possible, rather than tear people down.'

During his time on Strictly, Pete also paid tribute to his late Nan with an emotional Couples Choice, earning him a 10 from head judge Shirley Ballas.

Having previously described his grandmother as his 'best friend,' the star also opened up her passing in his book Never Enough.

Describing his Nan as his 'safety net,' Pete told MailOnline that he's made many changes in his life since her death in 2022.

He said: 'Since I lost my Nan a few years ago, life has changed for me, and a lot of that was down to the fact that she was kind of a safety net for me, things change in your head and you have to kind of have a word with yourself in a way.

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Reflecting on his time on Strictly, Pete credited his progression to his dance partner Jowita, and said they are still close friends, six months after the series ended 

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It came as Pete joined forces with Lynx to celebrate the launch of their new Lower Body Spray

'The book was cathartic, it was something I wanted to do, because I don't think I'm the only one that feels the way I do in certain situations, it's got nothing to do with what I've been through, because everyone's been through different things.

'If you can put everyone's problems together in a pot, you'd probably be a lot happier just taking away the original problems you had, because there's so many people doing so many things, that's why I want it to be relatable to people.'

Pete added that much of his decision to open up about his past for the first time came from his mum Tracy, and in his book, he revealed how he saved her life when he was just 12 after he found her in the kitchen following an attempted suicide.

He added: 'It's got nothing to do with me, it's got my name on it, but it's a lot to do with my Mum, she's now really open about the struggles she's had and has had over the years, and how that's impacted her.

'She's my absolute hero and she's just an angel and a lot of it is kind of her story as well, and her giving my blessing to tell that story, in order for someone else who might relate to it or understand it a little bit better.

'I'm just a vehicle for things, it's got nothing to do with me.

'She's my hero, she's my absolute hero, there's not a stronger person on this earth than my Mum.'

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During his time on Strictly, Pete also paid tribute to his late Nan with an emotional Couples Choice, and he said that since her death in 2022, he's made huge changes in his life

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Pete added that much of his decision to open up about his past for the first time came from his mum Tracy 

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As part of the launch of Lynx's new Lower Body Spray, Pete and pal Chloe Burrows unveiled a giant boxer-shaped scented ball pit stunt at Boxpark Shoreditch

Currently, Pete is filming second and third series of his W series For Dog's Sake, and as well as hosting Staying Relevant with pal Sam Thompson, now fronts podcasts Man-Made, and The Sunday Roast with Olivia Attwood.

He and Sam are set to host the red carpet at the National Television Awards next month for the third time, just a week before they take to the stage at London's 02 Arena for a live version of their podcast. 

As part of the launch of Lynx's new Lower Body Spray, Pete, his pal Chloe Burrows and Joe Weller unveiled a giant boxer-shaped scented ball pit at Boxpark Shoreditch, inviting the public to share whether they identify as 'team spray' or 'team no-way'.

The former TOWIE star went onto tell MailOnline that there is still a 'taboo' surrounding men when it comes to looking after themselves, but did say he's going to encourage Sam to add the products to his new 'glow-up' routine.