Strictly Come Dancing sensation Pete Wicks has finally opened up about the rumours surrounding his potential romance with his dance partner Jowita Przystal. The pair have been setting pulses racing with their sizzling chemistry during rehearsals for the live shows, and their growing affection seems to be only enhancing their sparkling performances on the dance floor.
In a candid chat with his ex-TOWIE buddy Olivia Attwood on her podcast, Pete dodged confirming any off-dance floor dalliances. On her show So Wrong It's Right, where she dives into chats aiming "to squash shame," Olivia didn't shy away from asking the juicy questions everyone has been thinking about.
She pressed Pete on his romantic history, specifically mentioning Maura Higgins, who shot to fame on Love Island. However, downplaying their reported romance, Pete remarked: "Me and Maura have known each other for a long time." Not one to let things slide easily, Olivia cheekily quipped: "You've had a kiss, we've seen it!" Pete, however, was quick to counter: "No, you haven’t seen it." Olivia, relentless in her pursuit of details, retorted: "We've seen a picture of it," reports the Mirror.
Moving on to the hot topic at hand, Olivia probed further: "Next thing I need to know, are you and your dance partner romantically involved?" Pete couldn't help but laugh, yet he cleverly dodged giving anything away, exclaiming: "My God!" Olivia fired back confidently: "You don’t get awards by not asking the questions!"
Pete said he knew he wanted to be paired up with Jowita from the moment they met, due to her welcoming personality. He added: "Obviously you spend a lot of time with someone doing this, it's f*****g intense, so the most important thing for me was someone I actually get on with.
"The first time I met her I thought, I like you, you're just a good person, you don't annoy me. So yeah, she's the best person I could've been with, but it's not a romantic thing, but we do have great chemistry because we get on, we genuinely get on well."
Eager to divert the conversation from his love life, Pete deftly shifted topics, alluding to: "One of the biggest problems is my b*******." He joked: "Well, I'm having to wear like Spanx... because otherwise Shirley will end up with a couple of black eyes."
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As whispers grow about pro dancer Jowita and Pete getting close, an insider told The Mail on Sunday: "Pete has fallen head over heels for Jowita. He thinks she is amazing in every way. The feeling is mutual from her side and things have definitely progressed between them. They are all over one another behind the scenes, in a way that a loved-up couple would be."
The source added: "It appears that we may have the first Strictly romance of the series, which is so exciting. They are the talk of the show. The other contestants are really happy for them. They are always smiling. It's lovely. It will certainly brighten up the show following the dreadful saga around Giovanni Pernice and Amanda Abbington."
At the National Television Awards, the duo was seen glowing with affection for each other. The rumour mill is in full swing, and Pete's BFF Sam Thompson fuelled further speculation by gleefully announcing: "Pete's in love."
In an honest chat with the BBC, Pete gave us a glimpse into his ultimate romantic movie date setting: "Raining, log cabin in the middle of the woods, fire going, cold night. A couple of bottles of Malbec and cheese board." His Strictly partner Jowita echoed the sentiment, chipping in with: "Snowy night, log cabin! A big bowl of salted popcorn." Adding a hint of flirtation to the mix, Pete also quipped: "It may be a glitter ball."
