Strictly Come Dancing's Pete Wicks has opened up about the sexting scandal that led to him receiving death threats and feeling like "the most hated person in the UK". Back in 2016, while dating Megan McKenna, he sent explicit messages to another woman, leading to a dramatic confrontation on TOWIE.
In his new book Never Enough, Pete reflects on how this period affected his life and career. He revealed there was more going on behind the scenes than people realised, and that his ex was aware of the messages before they were made public.
However, when the story broke during filming in Marbella, their private issues became public knowledge. He shared that while he wasn't trying to justify what happened, "there was more happening behind the scenes that people don't know about".
"My ex actually already knew there had been messages, and it was something we were dealing with in private."
"But when someone sold stories on the messages I'd sent, suddenly our dirty laundry was being aired for everyone to see. It all came out when we were filming in Marbella," he wrote.
Following the airing of the episode, Pete said he went from being loved to hated overnight, even receiving death threats and having someone spit in his car.
"I had people telling me to die of cancer and that I should go and kill myself. I had people sending me videos of dolls they'd made to look like me, hanging them in the street and then burning them."
The reality star confessed that such abuse was "a lot" to handle, leading to a loss of work before he managed to regain his footing.
Now in a more positive space, Pete maintains a friendship with Megan, who is expecting her first child with her fiance Ollie Burke.
Despite constant speculation about his romantic status, the Strictly Come Dancing contender is reportedly single.
He is currently competing in this year's series alongside the show's 2022 champion professional dancer, Jowita Przystal.
