Reality star Pete Wicks has shut down speculation about the nature of his relationship with his Strictly Come Dancing partner Jowita Przystał.

Given just how many relationships have blossomed under Strictly’s lights and cameras in the past two decades (including between plenty of people who already had partners when the show started), it’s become something of an annual event for viewers and the media to speculate about whether romance could bloom between any of the partnerships.

This year, Pete and Jowita – who are both thought to be single – have been at the centre of romance rumours, with the Mail On Sunday reporting recently that the two were “head over heels” for one another.

However, Pete set the record straight on the latest episode of his podcast Staying Relevant, which he hosts with his friend, fellow reality TV veteran Sam Thompson.

Urging listeners not to “believe everything you read”, Pete described the rumours about himself as “utter rubbish”.

“You wake up on a Sunday morning and it’s stories that haven’t even happened,” he said.

“For example, during the choreography, there’s been a story going around for two weeks saying me and Jowita kissed during the dance. Everyone watched it on TV! [The media] called it a ‘passionate kiss’, it’s the choreography!”

He also reflected on his prior reputation as a lothario, after his romantic life formed a major part of reality shows like The Only Way Is Essex, Ex On The Beach and three separate seasons of Celebs Go Dating.

“I had this ‘bad boy’ persona, and that’s my fault, but the person I am now is different to the person I was 11 years ago, and the person I am now is different to the person I will be in 11 years,” Pete insisted. “You as a person move on, but the narrative doesn’t.”

“It is what it is and you can’t complain,” he concluded.

Pete and Jowita have proved popular with Strictly viewers, who have ensured the pair have escaped the dance-off all the way through this year’s series, even when the judges’ scores have sent them to the bottom of the leaderboard.

His appearance on the show marks only the second time that a TOWIE album has signed up for Strictly, following Mark Wright’s appearance on the show a decade ago.

Jowita joined Strictly in 2021, and after one year on the bench, won her first series with a partner when she was paired up with nature presenter Hamza Yassin.