Strictly's Pete Wicks breaks silence on relationship with Maura Higgins

Strictly Come Dancing star Pete Wicks has finally spoken out about his much-talked-about relationship with I'm A Celebrity sensation Maura Higgins, describing it succinctly in three words: "We're very close."

Amid persistent headlines regarding their rumoured relationship over the past months, 37 year old Pete and 34 year old Love Island alumna Maura's supposed romance has been a hot topic. This intrigue was compounded by whispers of Pete's growing closeness with his Strictly dance partner, Jowita Przystał, who is 30, stirring up the infamous 'Strictly Curse' concerns amongst fans worried he might drift from Maura.

While Maura took part in I'm A Celebrity down under, she hinted at her romantic life without dropping names, keeping viewers guessing. It seemed to many that things between her and Pete were serious when Pete's close mate Sam Thompson made jovial remarks about Maura joining the family during her appearance on the show's companion programme, Unpacked.

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Following her journey back from Australia, the pair quickly met up again and were seen displaying affection before Christmas. In a recent candid chat with The Times, Pete divulged, "We've known each other for a very, very long time."

He underscored this by stating, "We're very close," and went on to comment on privacy in the public eye, mentioning, "But a lot of being in the public eye is that people assume that you have to tell everyone all about your private life and I've never, never done that.", reports the Mirror.

Maura candidly spoke about the swirling romance rumours during her stint on This Morning after being voted off I'm A Celeb, confessing to Alison Hammond: "You do forget about the cameras, and I do like to keep things private, but let's be real, I said it. I can't remember saying it, but I said the words 'I miss him'."

She continued, "I do miss him, like I missed all my friends and family. Honestly, he's been so supportive, honestly. I didn't know if he was still in Strictly and I'm so proud of him, he's proud of me, and I can't wait to see him when I get back."

Pete also shed light on their bond recently. On the Staying Relevant podcast with Sam Thompson, Sam declared his "loyalty to Pete beats everything" while they discussed Maura's interview.

However, Pete had a quick retort for his mate: "It does until the leaving interview, and you say 'welcome to the family', so I guess that one just sort of slipped out did it? " Rumours about Pete and Maura's relationship started to circulate after the pair were spotted sharing a kiss during a dinner in Soho in August last year.