semi-finalist Pete Wicks may be favourite to exit the competition at the last hurdle this weekend but he’s alreaded landed his next TV role – and it couldn’t be more perfect for him.
The former Towie star, 36, is competing in the Strictly semi-final on Saturday, December 7 against , , , and and no one was more surprised than he was to have made it through.
Now even if the odds of him making it to next weekend’s final don’t look too promising, he’s delighted with his next job – a new TV show airing next month, For Dogs’ Sake.
Pete will have exclusive access to Dogs Trust, and will be there to support his new four-legged friends from the moment they’re rescued to the point when they’re rehomed.
And it sounds like it couldn’t be more perfect for him as, in light of being trolled for his Strictly success, he admits that he prefers his dogs to humans as they will always support him no matter what.
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Pete Wicks with Strictly partner Jowita Pryzystal (Image: BBC)
“Animals have been a huge passion of mine for my entire life, and since I’ve had a bit of a platform, I’m really lucky to kind of be able to give a bit of a voice and voiceless,” Pete told Metro.co.uk.
“Being able to film something and give a second chance to vulnerable dogs who deserve love just as much as humans do, was just a really amazing thing to do and taken four years to get off the ground. It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do in TV – I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”
It’s no secret Pete has dedicated so much of his life to protecting animals. He’s worked undercover on fur farms in Finland, shut down dog meat farm in South Korea, and famously saved a pig from being cooked by his celebrity campmates on Bear Grylls’ The Island.
Now he’s teamed up with pet food company Lily’s Kitchen as part of its nationwide campaign Welcome To Lapland, celebrating the bond between pet parents and their pets.
“I prefer animals to humans,” he says. “Dogs especially. They’ve been there for me no matter what.”
No more so than over the last 12 weeks since Pete’s been on . Against the odds, he’s made it all the way to the semi-finals but while the public is backing him every week, trolls have been piling on with abuse.
Pete is through to the Strictly semi-final (Image: PA)
“My dogs have been a godsend to me. I’ve had a lot of stick and it’s so nice to shut off from the noise and just sit down with the dogs where I feel safe and comfortable,” he says.
“They don’t judge me or care if I’ve danced well. They just care about spending time with me and that’s a beautiful escapism from the intensity of Strictly.”
But Pete has built a thick skin being in the public eye, particularly as an animal activist. There isn’t any justification for animal cruelty but when Pete uses his platform to fight for their protection, he’s still hit with backlash from a cruel corner of social media.
“That’s part and parcel of freedom of speech, everyone has a different opinion, and everyone’s entitled to an opinion. You’re never going to please everyone, everyone has to take account for their own life, what they want to do with it, and what means something to them.
“It doesn’t mean that everyone has to agree with me or that everyone has to agree on everything, but it’s important to be kind, understand other people’s opinions, why they believe that, and also educate yourself.
‘If you believe you’re right the whole time it doesn’t get you anywhere, because we’re all wrong at different points in our lives, but when you are wrong, it’s about educating yourself as to why you’re wrong and then making the right choices going forward. Mistakes are absolutely fine, but small mindedness is not.”
is on One and iPlayer