BBC Strictly’s Jowita Przystal supports Pete Wicks as he shares heartbreaking update

Strictly: Pete Wicks finds out his song for his next dance

Strictly Come Dancing saw reality star Pete Wicks bare all of his emotions for a tear-jerking performance to Tina Turner’s 1989 hit Simply The Best.

The 36-year-old dedicated the routine to his late nan, Doreen, who passed away in 2022. The song choice was also intentional, as it was also played at her funeral.

As Pete and his professional partner, Jowita Przystal, took to the dance floor, he was emotional throughout and forced back tears by the end.

The Towie star was also inundated with praise from viewers and positive feedback from the panel of judges including Shirley Ballas who admitted to becoming emotional.

The notoriously hard-to-please Craig Revel-Horwood added: “That it was absolutely moving and absolutely beautiful.”

Pete and Jowita’s skills were reflected in the scores as they received 36 points and sailed through to week nine during the Sunday results show.

Alongside black and white photos of their routine and a sweet snap with his nan, the Strictly star thanked fans for their support and honoured his beloved grandmother.

In the lengthy post, Pete penned: “I don’t know what to say…I ain’t always very good at talking about emotions but I wanted to thank every single one of you that voted last night or just resonated with our dance.

“We all lose people we love, it’s life…but someone once told me ‘don’t let the death of someone be the death of you’ and it’s stuck in my head.

Pete dedicated the performance to his late nan Doreen (Image: Instagram)

“My nan was my best friend and she would have loved watching me try and dance every Saturday night. This was just my way of sharing this experience with her.

“It wasn’t about the show or getting to Blackpool, it was just a thank you to my mum and my nan. I’m humbled by all of your kind words and support.”

Pete continued: “Next week is for Jowita, she has given me so much over the past couple of months and I know how important it is for her to be able to dance again in Blackpool.

“I am beyond grateful to Jowita and Arduino for helping me through the last week. Next week we are bringing fun, it’s gonna be all about the fun. The support I’ve had since the start of this show is wild and no words will ever be enough but genuinely THANK YOU.”

Jowita replied: "No words needed here… just thank you Pete for you!"