All of Pete Wicks’ dreams are coming true at once after Strictly Come Dancing.
Tonight, the former Towie star, 36, is competing in the Strictly semi-final against Chris McCausland, Tasha Ghouri, JB Gill, and Sarah Hadland.
No one was more surprised than Pete to make it this far, bursting into tears when Tess Daly read out his name last Sunday when he escaped the dance-off once again.
He doesn’t have much faith he’ll be lifting the Glitterball trophy, but either way, Pete is a winner. `
Over the last three months, Pete’s gone from reality TV star bad boy to the people’s champion and now he’s already landed the perfect 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.
‘It’s where I got one of my dogs, Eric, 10 years ago,’ Pete tells Metro.co.uk.
‘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.
‘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.
No wonder he’s teamed up with 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 appeared on Strictly Come Dancing.
Against the odds, he’s made it all the way to the semi-finals – and rightly so. His journey has been one of the most compelling in this entire series.
But while the public is backing him every week, trolls have been piling on with abuse.
‘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.’
With the launch of his new show and his podcast with best pal Sam Thompson, the future is looking brighter than ever for Pete.
He’s won over a huge new fan base on Strictly Come Dancing and at this point, the world is his oyster.
Still though, he’s taking his success day by day.
‘Before I worry about next year, I’ll reflect on the year I’ve just had,’ he says.
The Lily’s Kitchen limited edition Christmas ranges for both dogs and cats are available to buy at the Lily’s Kitchen website and at other stores including Pets at Home, Amazon, Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
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