Pete Wicks makes heartbreaking confession amid Maura Higgins romance

Pete Wicks worked his way into the public's affections with a stint on Strictly – but now he has something to get off his chest and it's not about Maura Higgins

Before donning his pink PVC trousers on Strictly Come Dancing, Pete Wicks was better known for his bad boy image but, as he revealed during his impressive run on the dance show, he is actually quite the sensitive type. “I’m an emotional peach!” he says with a grin, as he sit down for an exclusive interview with OK!.

First finding fame on The Only Way Is Essex, Pete, 36 - whose romance with Maura Higgins has been hotting up since she left the I'm A Celebrity jungle, has been showing more of his vulnerable side recently, particularly in some of the bombshell revelations from last year’s memoir, Never Enough — and his new docuseries, Pete Wicks: For Dogs ’ Sake.

“I think people probably have a misconception of who they think I am, based on some of the things I’ve done previously,” Pete admits. “Over the years, I probably became a bit of a caricature of myself and had that ‘bad boy’ type image, which is not really who I was. It’s certainly not who I am now.” As we touch on his whole new fanbase since reaching the semi-final of the last series of Strictly alongside professional partner Jowita Przystal, Pete admits he feels incredibly lucky.

“I do have new fans since Strictly and the reaction has been amazing — I never expected it,” he says. “People have been lovely. I am getting older now so it does change. It’s been about 10 years that I’ve been doing TV and people change. The person I am now is not who I was 10 years ago or who I’m going to be in 10 years’ time. I’ve kind of grown up through TV in the past decade — it’s weird.”

Pete, who is the owner of two French bulldogs, Eric and Peggy, is looking forward to showing fans more aspects of his personality in his new TV show, which sees him working with the charity Dogs Trust to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home vulnerable dogs. Admitting that his latest venture is a real passion project, Pete — who has often joked that he prefers dogs to humans, explains, “For me, this is what I’ve always wanted to do. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to work with animals and ever since having a bit of a platform, I wanted to do something with it. This show was life-changing for me.

“I spent a number of months at Dogs Trust, which is a charity and animal centre that is really close to my heart — it’s where one of my dogs, Eric, came from 10 years ago. So, that was a really beautiful full circle moment to go back and help out there and see what they do behind the scenes." He adds: “It’s heartwarming, It’s emotional, it’s full of puppies and sad cases too. We highlight the cruelty that goes on which is really, really important because, as much as no one likes to see cruelty, we bury our heads in the sand if we don’t see it.”

As we talk, it’s clear to see Pete’s passion for the cause shining through, as he jokes he will end up a “crazy dog man” one day. “It was very emotional for me,” he says. “Dogs are better than people — they have a beautiful innocence about them and a beautiful way of making you feel safe. They don’t care what you look like, where you’ve been, they don’t care about gossip — they don’t give a monkey’s about any of that. All they want is a little bit of love. They’re nothing short of a miracle.” He adds, laughing, “If I had my way, I would live in the middle of nowhere away from society, just surrounded by dogs.”

But one person who undoubtedly wouldn’t let Pete stray too far is his friend Sam Thompson, who he admits has been a huge support over recent months. “Sam is really supportive. No matter what happens with him and me, we’re kind of each other’s No1 fan. I support him no matter what he does and vice versa. It’s a really beautiful thing — he’s the brother I never wanted!”