Pete Wicks has theory over why he and Jowita Przystał are focus of juicy Strictly romance gossip-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro

Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał have stolen hearts with their partnership (Picture: BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing star Pete Wicks has proudly declared he’s a ‘different person’ now to the ‘bad boy’ who started on reality TV 11 years ago.

The former Towie star, 35, also expressed his frustrations regarding speculation about his love life as fans remain convinced he and pro dancer Jowita Przystał are an item.

Pete and Jowita, 30, are slowly climbing the judges’ leaderboard, having delivered their highest-scoring performance yet on Saturday night with a quickstep to A Town Called Malice.

However, their antics off the dancefloor seem to be the main talking point. Two weeks ago, Strictly viewers went wild when the podcaster and Polish dancer appeared to smooch during their American smooth.

Speaking on his podcast, Staying Relevant, which Pete co-hosts with best pal Sam Thompson, the renowned lothario made it clear that there was no lip-locking.

He also delved into the reasons why he believes viewers are so obsessed with the juicy gossip about his training session with Jowita, who lifted the glitterball in 2022.

The pair have been at the centre of romance rumours for weeks (Picture: BBC)

Pete has repeatedly expressed his adoration for Jowita (Picture: Instagram)

‘It’s been the same narrative for 11 years non-stop,’ he vented, explaining that his Strictly stint is very different to the usual ‘late night dating shows’ he often appears on post-watershed.

‘And yet you wake up on a Sunday morning and it’s stories that haven’t even happened.

‘For example, during the choreography, there’s a story been going around for two weeks saying me and Jowita kissed during the dance… everyone watched it on TV!

‘They called it a “passionate kiss”, it’s the choreography, and we didn’t.’

However, the star acknowledged that he has also played a part in constructing the ‘caricature’ perception the nation has of him.

‘I had this “bad boy” persona, and that’s my fault, but the person I am now is different to the person I was 11 years ago, and the person I am now is different to the person I will be in 11 years.

People were convinced they shared a kiss during their American smooth (Picture: BBC)

Jowita often shares her pride for how Pete is progressing in the competition (Picture: Instagram)

Best pal Sam Thompson wants people to see Pete for the ‘amazing person he is’ (Picture: James Veysey/Shutterstock)

‘You as a person move on, but the narrative doesn’t.’

Despite his frustrations at being perceived as a ‘heartthrob’ no matter what show he’s on, Pete declared: ‘It is what it is and you can’t complain.’

He also urged fans not to ‘believe everything you read’, blasting the endless rumours about the nature of his and Jowita’s relationship as ‘utter rubbish’.

Co-presenter Sam, who won I’m A Celebrity last year, also admitted it’s ‘annoying’ for him as a friend, saying his mate ‘doesn’t deserve’ to constantly be at the centre of ‘who is Pete sleeping with’ rumours.

His comments come after sources claimed Pete and Jowita have fallen ‘head over heels’ for one another, with their fellow contestants ‘really happy’ for how things are ‘progressing’ between them.

Pete has kept quiet about his romantic life in recent years, given that he and previous girlfriends frequently made headlines when he first rose to fame.

One of his most high-profile romances included Towie co-star Megan McKenna, who welcomed her first child this month.

Pete has expressed regret over being unfaithful to Megan, while other exes include Chloe Sims, Maura Higgins, Shelby Tribble, and glamour model Jacqui Ryland.

The former Towie star is hoping to shed his ‘bad boy’ image after 11 years on telly (Picture: Ray Burmiston/PA Wire)

He’s now famously tight-lipped about his love life (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Since appearing on BBC’s Strictly, though, he’s acquired a new fanbase, as viewers have seen a different side to the long-haired, heavily-tattooed Essex heartbreaker.

Fans have loved seeing a more ’emotional’ side to Pete, whose humour is famously self-deprecating as he often criticises his own dancing abilities.

Ahead of the Strictly launch, he shared his hopes that the once-in-a-lifetime experience will give him ‘a chance to let go and enjoy [himself]’, something he’s certainly done having donned a loin cloth as George of the Jungle and gyrated on the judges’ table.

He told ITV’s Lorraine Kelly: ‘Zara (McDermott, Sam’s girlfriend and former Strictly star) was the one that, kind of, pushed me to do this because she loves the show. I was quite honest about the fact I had never actually seen it.

‘The first time I saw Strictly was the first live show last year when Zara was on and I just thought, wow, this is amazing – but I never imagined myself doing it.’

Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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