Pete Wicks says friend Zara McDermott ‘pushed’ him to compete on Strictly

Reality star Pete Wicks has said his close friend Zara McDermott “pushed” him to compete on the upcoming 20th series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Earlier this year, allegations were raised about former professional partner Graziano Di Prima’s treatment of Love Island star McDermott when they competed together on the BBC dance competition last year.

In an Instagram post in July, McDermott said she “wrestled with the fear of opening up” about her time on the show because she feared “public backlash” and “victim shaming”.

She wrote in a statement: “So much of my Strictly experience was everything I could have dreamed of. The entire production team and everyone behind the scenes as well as my fellow contestants were so amazing to work with.

“However, my experience inside the training room was very different. Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some events, as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch.”

She added that she had spoken “candidly” to the BBC about her time on the show and thanked the corporation for their “swift action and incredibly high level of support”.

Her statement came after it was confirmed that Di Prima would no longer be part of the 2024 professional line-up.

A statement from Di Prima in July said: “I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly.

“My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime.”

The BBC announced in July that they would introduce new welfare measures, including a chaperone who will be present “at all times” during rehearsals.

Speaking on ITV’s Lorraine about how he was feeling about competing on the upcoming series of Strictly, The Only Way Is Essex star Wicks said he was “petrified”.

“I’m like a Ferrari from the waist down and a Volvo from the waist up”, he added.

“The hips are there but the top half doesn’t move.”

Asked if McDermott had offered him any advice, he said: “Zara … was the one that kind of pushed me to do this because she loves the show.

“I’ve been quite honest about it, I’ve never actually seen it.

“The first time I saw Strictly was the first live show last year when Zara was on it and and I just thought, wow, this is amazing.

“But I never imagined myself doing it. Sequins and all that sort of stuff is not necessarily (my style).”

Despite his fears, he said he is “excited” to take on another new project as he noted the focus of his new book, Never Enough: My Words Unfiltered, is about overcoming challenges.

The spotlight has been on Strictly recently because of allegations over the treatment of past contestants.

Wicks, who has been in the public eye for more than a decade, said: “Being in the public eye or whatever else has kind of a detrimental impact, because if people tell you the same thing all the time and it’s negative, it’s very hard to not believe that after a while.”