Strictly star Pete Wicks has “confirmed” a romance with his former dance partner Jowita Przystal.
The Only Way is Essex star was partnered with Przystal on last year’s series while he was dating Love Island’s Maura Higgins, and the pair struck up a close friendship during their months on the show.
Rumours of a relationship first surfaced after Wicks split from Higgins – and they now appear to have gone public with their romance after kissing three times during a live performance at London’s 02 Arena.
Przystal, who joined Strictly in 2021, accompanied Wicks on stage while he was presenting a special live episode of Staying Relevant, the podcast he co-hosts with Sam Thompson, and they shared three passionate kisses while performing a dance routine for the sold-out crowd.
The couple made it through to the semi-finals of the show, much to the frustration of loyal viewers who complained that Wicks’s dancing skills were not as good as competitors being voted out before him.
Speaking about their close bond during the series, Wicks said of Przystal: “She’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, genuinely. Not just in the dancing side of things but outside of that and I think that helps us with the whole dancing thing.”
He added: “It’s not a love bubble – we have great chemistry because we’ve become such good friends.”
The Independent has contacted Wicks and Przystal for comment.
This year’s series of Strictly will kick off on Saturday (20 September) with the BBC dance competition’s usual pre-recorded launch programme.
Celebrity contestants, including Dani Dyer, Alex Kingston and YouTube star George Clarke, will be paired up with their professional dance partners during the launch episode, as well as showing off their moves in a group dance ahead of their first official routine.
Saturday live shows will kick off a week later and the first Sunday results programme will air on Sunday 5 October, when the first celebrity to leave the show will be announced.
The BBC has also revealed that the Strictly Come Dancing final will take place days before Christmas on Saturday 20 December.
