Pete Wicks has addressed his relationship with Love Island's Maura Higgins amid romance rumours surrounding the two.
The former The Only Way is Essex star, who recently took part in Strictly Come Dancing, weighed in on his bond with I'm a Celebrity's Maura, saying they are "very close".
"We've known each other for a very, very long time. We're very close," Pete told The Times.
Related: I'm a Celeb's Maura Higgins reunites with Pete Wicks in sweet photos
"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."
As for Maura, she clarified there is no "mystery man" in her life at the moment and she is very much single.
What to Read Next
"Can I just set something straight – I don't have a mystery man. I don't. I'm single," she told Cosmopolitan UK. "I think people are just very invested in my love life. But as you've all seen from the jungle, there's a lot more layers to me than the man I'm dating."
Related: Best film and TV tours for 2025
During his Strictly stint, Pete also had to address his relationship status after speculations he and his pro partner Jowita Przystał were involved romantically.
"Absolutely nothing was going on," Wicks said of the rumours.
"The headlines were adamant, even after we told everyone we were just friends. But Jowita was a really amazing, beautiful person.
"One thing I've taken away from Strictly is a friend for life in her, but the way the press banged on about us tainted some of the experience."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Interested in talking about Strictly? Visit our dedicated sub-forum
Read more Strictly news on our dedicated homepage
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
