Pete Wicks opens up on ‘horrendous and heartbreaking’ online abuse during BBC Strictly stint: ‘Tainted the experience’
Pete Wicks has revealed how “horrendous” and “heartbreaking” online abuse affected his Strictly Come Dancing experience, admitting he was at his most vulnerable whilst on the BBC show.
The former TOWIE star, who reached the semi-finals of last year’s competition, opened up about the emotional toll of receiving negative messages during his time on the dancing programme.
“Some of the messages I got were beautiful, but the horrendous things were heartbreaking,” the 37-year-old told The Times.
Wicks sailed through to the semi-finals despite receiving lower scores from the judges, which sparked outrage among some viewers.
The reality star previously revealed he had received death threats for remaining in the competition at the expense of other contestants.
His survival until the final week, when he faced his only dance-off, frustrated viewers who felt better performers were being eliminated before him.
Speaking to The Times, Wicks explained how the criticism was particularly difficult to handle due to his vulnerable position on the show.
“Normally I’m in control of the narrative. This was me at my most vulnerable I’ve been on television, so the negative stuff was harder to take,” he said.
The reality star and podcast host reflected on the importance of not getting too invested in either positive or negative feedback.
Wicks also addressed how false romance rumours with his professional partner Jowita Przystal damaged his Strictly experience.
“Absolutely nothing was going on,” he insisted. “The headlines were adamant, even after we told everyone we were just friends.”
He praised Przystal as “a really amazing, beautiful person” and said he had gained “a friend for life” in her.
However, he added: “The way the press banged on about us tainted some of the experience.”
Despite the challenges, Wicks described Strictly as “one of the best things I’ve ever done”.
The reality star maintained his self-deprecating humour about his dancing abilities.
“I absolutely still can’t dance. I’ve never even danced at a wedding or in a bar. I’ve two left feet and no rhythm whatsoever. I can’t even clap to a beat,” he admitted.
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He added: “But I do like learning, and being taught by someone who’s a world-class expert in what they do was absolutely priceless.”
Wicks and Jowita made it to the semi-finals of the series and surpassed their own expectations.