Strictly Come Dancing’s Pete Wicks has broken his silence on his relationship with I’m A Celebrity icon Maura Higgins with three telling words.
The 37-year-old and Love Island’s Maura, 34, have been hitting headlines in recent months over their rumoured romance. Their romance survived near-immediate challenges – as speculation raged that Pete had grown close to his Strictly Come Dancing professional partner Jowita Przystał, 30, sparking fears the fabled Strictly Curse could tear him away from Maura.
Meanwhile, Maura spent weeks in Australia for I’m A Celebrity where she slyly discussed her relationship with him without mentioning his name. The reality regulars appeared to be the real deal after Pete’s best pal Sam Thompson cheekily “welcomed Maura to the family” when she appeared on I’m A Celebrity spin-off, Unpacked.
After she returned to the UK, they quickly reunited and were recently pictured looking loved-up right before Christmas. And now, Pete opened up about his private life in a new interview. He explained: “We’ve known each other for a very, very long time.” He then added the following three words: “We’re very close.”
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Maura and Pete were spotted smooching in August
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Pete finally opened up about his relationship with her
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Speaking to The Times, he added: “But a lot of being in the public eye is that people assume that you have to tell everyone all about your private life and I’ve never, never done that.”
Maura previously addressed the romance rumours on an appearance of This Morning after getting eliminated from I’m A Celeb, telling Alison Hammond: “You do forget about the cameras, and I do like to keep things private, but let’s be real, I said it. I can’t remember saying it, but I said the words ‘I miss him’.
“I do miss him, like I missed all my friends and family. Honestly, he’s been so supportive, honestly. I didn’t know if he was still in Strictly and I’m so proud of him, he’s proud of me, and I can’t wait to see him when I get back.” Pete also opened up about the pair’s connection recently. On his and Sam Thompson’s Staying Relevant podcast, Sam insisted his “loyalty to Pete beats everything” as they discussed the former Made In Chelsea star’s interview with Maura.
But Pete quickly replied to his best friend: “It does until the leaving interview, and you say ‘welcome to the family’, so I guess that one just sort of slipped out did it?” Speculation first grew about their relationship when Pete and Maura were seen smooching during a dinner in Soho in August last year.
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