PETE Wicks cosied up to his dance partner Jowita Przystal at a backstage drinks party following their steamy foxtrot on Strictly.
The former Towie star, 36, kissed Polish pro Jowita, 30, during their dance, just as it was claimed they are growing close.
He was dressed as George of the Jungle for the performance and earlier in the day had been seen smoking a cigarette in costume outside the TV studios in Elstree, Herts.
They received an underwhelming score of 26 despite their show of affection on screen.
Pete and Jowita performed a Samba to the movie’s theme tune for Movie Week however, eagle-eyed viewers at home were quick to comment on Pete’s blunder which almost spelled disaster for the entire routine.
During one section of intricate footwork, it appeared as though the reality lothario extended his leg too early, which caused Jowita to trip.
Her legs appeared to fall behind her as Pete kept her up, as a result of him gripping onto her.
They quickly managed to recover as dancer Jowita managed to get her feet back into the correct position as they brushed over the blunder.
Picking up on the moment online, one fan quipped: “Bloody hell, we nearly got a tumble there.
“Been ages since I saw somebody properly stack it on #strictly.”
Another wrote: “Pete nearly sent Jowita flying.”
Someone else was left questioning exactly what went wrong as they wrote: “Did Jowita almost trip and go flying over his leg? What exactly happened there?”
Pete was most recently linked to former Love Islander Maura Higgins, 33, after they were pictured kissing in August.
