TOWIE bad boy Pete Wicks is no stranger to melting hearts – and he is set to melt a few thousand more when he makes his Strictly Come Dancing debut.
The reality star, 36, has earned himself a reputation of being a Lothario over the years – and he is showing no signs of stopping.
Here, following the news that Pete will be taking part in the new series of Strictly, we take a look at his colourful love life and all the women he has been linked to.
Pete found fame in 2015 when he joined the cast of The Only Way Is Essex.
He soon hit it off with Jess Wright during filming and they shared a snog in Marbella.
However, the romance didn’t last very long, with Pete later saying: “We’re not really compatible relationship-wise.
“We’ll always have a bit of chemistry but we’re better off as friends. I think you need more than chemistry to make things work.
“She’ll make a good girlfriend to someone, but it isn’t going to me.”
Fresh from his fling with Jess Wright, Pete began dating Megan McKenna.
Their romance progressed even further when she also signed up to the ITVBe (then ITV2) reality show.
The couple talked of “love” – until The Sun exclusively revealed how they were rocked by a sex text scandal in September 2016.
Pete and Megan reunited a few months later and were officially back together by December that year.
However, they eventually called it quits for good in October 2017.
Speaking about their break-up, Pete later admitted on Celebs Go Dating that he was unfaithful behind Megan’s back.
“About three or four months into us being together I made a few mistakes. I was messaging other women,” he admitted.
“When I start to get feelings for someone I feel vulnerable.”
Another day, another cast member.
Pete hooked up with Towie’s Shelby Tribble in 2018 and they were an item for eight months.
But their romance was a rocky one and Shelby accused him of still having feelings for Megan McKenna.
She later said: “I always felt like I was living in Megan’s shadow because when we first got together he used to mention her a lot.”
2018 was a busy year for Pete Wicks. He was accused of “going missing” in London strip club Stringfellows with Love Island star Megan Barton Hanson.
Megan was in a relationship with her co-star Wes Nelson at the time. Pete, meanwhile, was in the club with Fern McCann, Mario Falcone and Jon Clark.
A source told The Sun: “Megan and Pete hit it off from the moment they first started talking – they both seemed keen to get to know each other better.
“At first Pete was very cautious and made it clear he wasn’t interested due to her being in a relationship with Wes.
“But as the night progressed they’d both had a lot to drink and were having fun – going from an award ceremony to a club and then strip bar.
“The pair even went ‘missing’ for a long period of time from the rest of the group that included Ferne, Mario and also Jon Clark.”
However, Pete later hit back, telling OK! magazine: “Do you know what? It’s so ridiculous.
“At the minute I seem to be getting links with a new person every week.
“Obviously Megan’s in a relationship, seems really happy, it’s like a friendly thing. It’s turning into a bit of a pantomime. It’s just ridiculous.”
Towie fans were left stunned when Pete and his co-star Chloe Sims confessed to having an on/off relationship.
It transpired that the pair had dated over a two-year period, despite seemingly appearing to the outside world as just good friends.
Pete told The Sun: “Yes our relationship has been more than just a friendship. It has been romantic.
“There have definitely been blurred lines over the last two-years. We haven’t been officially seeing each other.”
But in 2020, things came to a head when they had a massive bust up.
In scenes that aired on Towie, Pete told her: “I can’t be in a relationship, I can’t give you what you want and I can’t give you what you deserve and I know that.”
Chloe walked off during filming and, months later, Pete told The Sun that they still hadn’t spoken – and she and half the Towie cast had unfollowed him on social media.
Although she now lives in Los Angeles, Chloe and Pete have since made up and he even had her name tattooed on himself to mark her 40th birthday.
Pete found himself being criticised last year when he began dating his Towie co-star Ella Rae Wise.
The pair have an 11-year age gap and some fans felt it was too big.
Hitting back, Ella told The Sun: “He is 11 years older than me. It is quite a bit.
“It’s hard because in my head I am not 21, I feel like I am more mature than my age and I get that from people, too.
“Even Pete doesn’t feel like he’s talking to a 21-year-old when he talks to me.”
But their romance was short-lived and it fizzled out as quickly as it had begun.
Last December, Pete apparently made a move on EastEnders star Danielle Harold while in Australia.
Danielle had just been voted out of the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! jungle, while Pete’s best mate Sam Thompson was still in there.
Having flown Down Under to support his pal, Pete was snapped looking cosy while deep in conversation with newly-evicted Danielle.
Onlookers even described the pair as ‘looking like a couple’ as they partied together in Surfers Paradise, Queensland.
Maura is the second Love Island star Pete has been romantically linked with, following his dalliance with Megan Barton Hanson.
This week, The Sun exclusively revealed the pair were spotted kissing at the Broadwick Soho Hotel.
An onlooker said Pete joined Maura at the posh five star hotel where she had been having lunch with friends.
They said: “Maura had been sitting on the terrace with friends for an hour before Pete arrived.
“After they’d sat there for a while Maura went in for a long kiss with Pete. It wasn’t the kind of kiss you’d give a friend, it was very passionate.”
Doing little to quash the claims, Maura has since left a very saucy comment on Pete’s Instagram following his Strictly casting announcement.
Pete is said to have enjoyed a brief fling with Verity Chapman after meeting on Celebs Go Dating.
Prior to finding fame, Pete also dated Harriette Harper – who went on to make a name for herself on Celebs Go Dating.
The hunk hooked up with Georgina Elizabeth Mullins after sliding into her DMs.
He said: “It sounds weird but she posted about the M25 speed cameras and I wanted to know about it so I DM’d her [on Instagram] to ask her.
“I mean it did help that she was stunning but it wasn’t your usual DM hook-up. What I love about her is she’s not bothered about the celeb world at all.”
And Pete kissed Married At First Sight Australia star Jessika Power during a date for Celebs Go Dating in 2021.
Chris McClausland
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Pete Wicks
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The 56-year-old is a former pro footballer, who played for Arsenal.
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