BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Pete Wicks' rise to fame from TOWIE bad boy to podcast king

Pete Wicks is currently impressing viewers on Strictly Come Dancing and has also found success away from the dance floor with his podcast with Sam Thompson

Pete Wicks has been charming both judges and home audiences with his performances on Strictly. Away from the dance reality TV show, he's also making his mark as a successful podcast star.

The 36 year old's journey into the limelight began modestly, with a fleeting stint on 'The Only Way is Essex'. Initially introduced as the friend of James 'Lockie' Lock, Pete quickly became a fan favourite, prompting him to switch from running his business for gruelling hours to becoming a reality star.

He follows Mark Wright as the second TOWIE star to grace the primetime dance contest. In true Pete style, he's now rumoured to be romantically involved with his dance partner Jowita Przystał, especially after recent photos seemingly captured them sharing a kiss backstage.

Their chemistry is palpable, earning them a score of 26 in last week's Samba to the 'George of the Jungle' theme. Distinguished by his long hair, tattoos, and nickname "Pirate Pete", he initially thought he'd "cause a bit of trouble then go back to normal" upon his TOWIE introduction.

However, as events unfolded, that was not to be. His TOWIE tenure saw him in a volatile relationship with Megan McKenna and linked romantically to other co-stars like Shelby Tribble, Chloe Sims, and Ella Rae Wise, reports the Mirror.

Despite a scandal involving texts to other women shortly after he presented Megan with a Rolex, Pete has stayed a viewer favourite, famed for his quick humour and managing to stay on good terms with his exes.

He exited the show, expressing concerns that he was "starting to become the Ian Beale of Towie, just this sort of drunk in the corner". However, he remains grateful for the opportunities it provided him, including appearances on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls and Celebrity MasterChef.

His television career soared post-show, participating in SAS: Who Dares Wins, where he knocked himself unconscious and broke his ribs during a challenge. He bared all to raise cancer awareness on The Real Full Monty and featured on Got Your Back, CelebAbility, Sunday Brunch, Celebrity Juice, and Supermarket Sweep.

Yet, it was on Celebs Go Dating in 2019 where, despite not finding love, Pete formed a life-changing friendship with Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson. Fans adored their unlikely pairing and Pete, known for his moody persona, wrote in his new book Never Enough that his enthusiastic friend Sam had encouraged him to open up.

'One of the loveliest things about Sam is he's very open about his feelings," he said. "Sam has been instrumental in making me more open. " The duo began posting videos on their social media, with Sam encouraging grumpy Pete to learn the latest viral dance routines.

Their growing popularity led to Channel 4 show Pete and Sam's Reality News and they launched a podcast, Staying Relevant, which saw them discuss their latest attempts to stay famous. Sam and Pete recently took the show on the road, selling out The London Palladium.

After Sam emerged as the winner of I'm A Celeb last year, Pete was there to welcome him back from the jungle. In return, Sam showed up to support his friend on Strictly.

Pete revealed that it was Sam's girlfriend Zara McDermott who encouraged him to participate in the show, despite allegations of misconduct related to her training with professional partner Graziano Di Prima. Pete is now set to achieve a long-held dream by hosting his own series, Pete Wicks: For Dog's Sake. "Up until a few months ago my main dream was to do a show with dogs and I was lucky enough to film for it this summer," he said about the upcoming series. The show will see him collaborate with the Dogs Trust charity to assist in rescuing and rehoming vulnerable dogs. "Animals make me happy, they make me feel good.

They live for the present and I think that's a beautiful thing we as humans don't really do. If we were more like animals that would be amazing!"