Pete Wicks has caused quite a stir by passionately kissing his former Strictly Come Dancing pro partner Jowita Przystał on stage at London’s O2 on Friday, with it later transpiring he has another woman on the go.
And no one is more amused by his antics than his best friend and co-star Sam Thompson.
I attended the duo’s sold-out podcast show, One Night Only with Staying Relevant, and saw firsthand how Sam, 33, couldn’t stop teasing Pete, 36, over his womanising ways to a delighted audience, calling him a ‘predator’ and mocking him by mimicking T-rex arms. And who could blame him?
In the years I’ve known Pete, I have covered countless stories about his shenanigans with women, including his explosive relationship with ex-TOWIE co-star Megan McKenna and fleeting romance with Love Island contestant Maura Higgins, 34, which started around the time he was first linked to dancer Jowita.
However, Pete’s lothario ways should not overshadow what a talented guy he really is. His turn of phrase and ability to whip up a crowd is a huge asset and one of the reasons why he, unlike so many of his former TOWIE co-stars, has managed to carve out a huge career outside of the show.
And Sam has star quality too, as anyone in the audience would testify.
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Pete Wicks has caused quite a stir by passionately kissing his former Strictly Come Dancing pro partner Jowita Przystał on stage at London’s O2 on Friday
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No one is more entertained by his antics than best friend and co-star Sam Thompson, who couldn’t stop teasing Pete about his reputation
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I attended the duo’s sold-out podcast show, One Night Only with Staying Relevant, and saw firsthand how Sam and Pete ridicule each other over their love lives
When Pete and Sam first met six years ago, it seemed unlikely they’d one day follow Beyonce, Rihanna, and Adele by selling out The O2.
Not bad for a couple of ‘reality TV stars’, as they’ve been unfairly dubbed by some critics, who should really know better.
If any of those haters had been part of the 15,000-strong crowd at the London venue on Friday night, like I was, they’d have seen just how big these two unlikely pals have become and what a formidable double act they are.
Their podcast Staying Relevant boasts a huge fanbase, no doubt topped up by new followers born from their successful appearances on the two biggest shows on TV – I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! (Sam) and Strictly Come Dancing (Pete).
But their most loyal supporters have been there since Celebs Go Dating – when the unlucky-in-love lotharios first met in 2019 – and even before that, through their breakthrough stints on Made In Chelsea and The Only Way Is Essex, when I first began championing them.
It shouldn’t work, because they’re complete opposites, but it does, and boy were the fans rewarded for their commitment to the duo on Friday, during their One Night Only Live.
The fandom inside the arena was boyband levels, screaming girls of varying ages totally consumed by both Pete and Sam, either salivating at the former’s ruggedness and ‘don’t care’ attitude, or wanting to mother the latter, who is just plain adorable.
As well as excited fans and their respective families, including Sam’s sister Louise, was their big celebrity following – such as Made In Chelsea’s Sam Vanderpump, Reza Amiri, James Dunmore, and TOWIE’s James Argent.
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Pete set the tone of the night when he introduced himself and Sam to the stage and said the evening was all about them ‘and all you c****’ gesturing to the crowd
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Sam’s love life was once again brought up when One Direction’s Steal My Girl came on, a cheeky nod to his ex Zara McDermott who’s now in a relationship with singer Louis Tomlinson
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Midway through the show, Sam achieved his seventh Guinness World Record by having the most balls caught on a Velcro suit while being suspended in the air
In the show’s ‘green room’, you saw Vicky Pattison, Rochelle and Marvin Humes, plus The Inbetweeners star James Buckley and his wife Clair.
The show itself was an extension of the podcast, with special guests, but Pete and Sam had the audience eating out the palm of their hands.
Pete set the tone of the night when he introduced himself and Sam to the stage and said the evening was all about them ‘and all you c****’ gesturing to the crowd.
That was the first of hundreds of expletives they uttered throughout the night, which was slightly surprising given the younger fans in the vicinity, but the pair were clearly just living in the moment and being as honest, and true to themselves as possible.
Sam reminded the audience that he’s ‘single’ and so welcomed ‘d*** grabbing’, something that was previously forbidden at their last shows.
And his love life was once again brought up when One Direction’s Steal My Girl came on, a cheeky nod to his ex-girlfriend Zara McDermott who’s now in a relationship with singer Louis Tomlinson.
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The fandom inside the arena was boyband levels, screaming girls of varying ages totally consumed by both Pete and Sam
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Former King of the Jungle Sam was clearly overwhelmed ahead of the stage show on Friday
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The Made In Chelsea star’s famous sister Louise attended the Staying Relevant show in support of her younger brother
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On Instagram, Louise shared her pride in Sam, admitting she was still ‘pinching herself’ over his headline slot
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Sam and Pete treated their Staying Relevant podcast team to a free bar at an afterparty held in honour of their sold-out O2 show
Sam then mocked Pete for his womanising reputation, calling him a ‘predator’ while running around the stage with T-rex arms, before telling the audience: ‘Do you know what tames Pete Wicks? Fags and booze.’
He then added, which sparked a chorus of ‘Ahhs’: ‘This year has been up and down for me as most of you will probably know but Pete is the most supportive friend you could ever ask for.’
While Pete, said to be the ‘brains’ behind their new company, Staying Relevant Productions, has worked hard to shake off his bad boy TOWIE image, on Sunday night, footage surfaced of him passionately kissing a blonde woman at a Mayfair restaurant.
Over the years, Pete has often told me in interviews that he longs to ‘settle down’ yet the star, once nicknamed Pirate Pete for his long hair, seems to relish the dating scene, where he’s unlikely short of offers…
Midway through the show, Sam achieved his seventh Guinness World Record by having the most balls caught on a Velcro suit while being suspended in the air and joked to his father in the audience, ‘This is where all your private school money went.’
Inbetweeners star James then joined in the fun, joking that Sam is ‘brokenhearted’, while Pete is ‘linked to every woman under the sun’ but what they have ‘is right in front of them’ – one of many homoerotic gags he told the crowd.
On top of downing multiple pints of Guinness and getting tipsy on stage, Sam showed off his six-pack as Peter Andre performed his classic hit Mysterious Girl.
Peter, cheered on by daughter Princess and wife Emily in the crowd, took to the stage right after Marvin from JLS belted out Everybody in Love, a nod to Sam’s stint in the I’m A Celeb jungle.
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Yet the headline-grabbing moment of the night was when Pete introduced his former Strictly partner Jowita Przystał, who looked gorgeous in a white minidress
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Maura and Pete dated during his time on Strictly last year, but they split on Valentine’s Day after the former Love Island star accused him of being unfaithful
Yet the headline-grabbing moment of the night was when Pete introduced his former Strictly partner Jowita, who looked gorgeous in a white minidress.
Rehearsal footage of Pete and Jowita practicing their final Strictly routine, which they never performed after being eliminated in the semi-finals, was projected onto the wall.
But unbeknown to the audience, they had been dancing in secret for weeks to perfect the number for a special performance on Friday night.
And that would mean plenty of kissing, as the pair passionately locked lips on several occasions during the raunchy routine, leaving the audience open mouthed, and me as a Showbiz reporter, grinning from ear to ear.
Jowita joined Pete at the after party, sparking yet further romance rumours – where the pals had paid for a free bar for their team and close friends and family to enjoy.
Sam, who got a tattoo of the O2 on his arm in honour of the evening, was carrying a bottle of tequila, offering to pour shots down the mouths of guests – including yours truly.
He told me he has big dreams for the future, from setting his sights on playing Wembley Stadium next, to imagining him and Pete one day hosting a variety show on the small screen.
The King of the Jungle had earlier told the audience TV commissioners are still refusing to give himself and Pete their own show.
If Friday night is anything to go by, they don’t know what they’re missing out on.
