TOWIE legend Bobby Norris believes former co-star Pete Wicks has what it takes to go all the way on Strictly.
Reality veteran Pete will swap his motorcycle boots for ballroom slippers in September and could be a dark horse for the coveted Glitterball.
Nothing if not determined, Pete will hope to replicate the sort of success that saw best friend Sam Thompson taste jungle glory on I’m A Celebrity last year.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun after shooting Getting Lippy, presented by Slingo, Bobby said: “If he takes part, and I genuinely don’t know as I haven’t spoken [to Pete] in a little while.
“I’ve got a lot of time for Pete and I think he’ll be really good. I know when he puts his mind to something, he’s got a strong mind and a strong head.
“Yeah, I can see him doing really well on the show, and I’ll be sat there on my Saturday night cheering him on.”
We revealed last week how the Beeb had snapped up Pete despite Zara McDermott, who is Sam Thompson’s partner, having a torrid time on the show behind the scenes last year.
The 27-year-old was kicked and spat at by her dance partner Graziano Di Prima, 30, with the Italian subsequently sacked from the show.
A source told MailOnline: “Zara is so happy for Pete landing the Strictly gig. Her experience on the show was so individual – she hopes no one will go through the same again.
“She knows that Pete will have an amazing time and could even impress the judges, he’s incredibly hardworking and a good person, and will thrive in the environment, which can be intense, but he performs best when he’s challenged and under pressure.
“Zara doesn’t want anything that happened to her to taint his Strictly journey and backs Pete even if it is a bit close to home.”
The former Made In Chelsea star often jokes about being in a “throuple” with Pete and the trio regularly have fans in stitches with their fun Instagram videos.
We revealed how Zara suffered severe ligament damage and a stress fracture on her left tibia while in rehearsals for Strictly.
She had no idea about her injury at the time and danced on in pain until she was booted off the show.
An insider explained: “Zara had started getting injured in the build-up to the Halloween dance then something went on the morning, meaning she danced with a fractured leg all that week.
“It was a literal horror show in every sense of the word.”
Bobby was speaking at the shoot of entertainment show ‘Getting Lippy’, presented by Slingo. Follow @GettingLippyTV on Instagram & Facebook to view the episode with Bobby.
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal has been growing over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for “gross misconduct” after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he “deeply regrets it”, adding his “intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime.”
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were “amazing to work with”, she found the rehearsal room “completely different”, confirming there’s footage of “certain situations”.
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his “1970s attitude” and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a “p***” after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year’s series.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: Strictly is forced to beef up security after ‘an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio’.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is ‘deeply sorry’, adding: “Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
“At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate.”
24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the ‘humilation being of a sexual nature’.
27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying “I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong”.
She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.
28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she “never felt pressured” by him and “personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day”.
