Pete Wicks fans have flocked to defend the Strictly Come Dancing star following weeks of backlash and harsh criticism from trolls.
The podcast host, 36, sailed through to the quarterfinal this weekend, having managed to avoid the dreaded dance-off each Saturday with partner Jowita Przystał.
Despite his loyal fanbase helping to carry Pete through, the Towie alum hasn’t had an easy ride, having admitted to receiving death threats from viewers who believe he should have already been eliminated.
The reality TV personality danced a waltz tonight for Musicals Week, channelling Tony from West Side Story while Jowita played his lover, Maria.
Unfortunately for Pete, he made noticeable mistakes in the routine, breaking viewers’ hearts after the music finished as he repeatedly apologised to the Polish professional.
The pair scored 26 points from the judges, with Shirley Ballas praising Pete’s ‘extraordinary’ improvement over recent weeks while Craig Revel Horwood slated his ‘shoddy’ footwork, giving him just five points.
After Pete and Jowita landed at the bottom of the leaderboard, viewers took to X to express their thoughts.
While some believe it’s ‘time’ for Pete to bow out, many praised his progress in the competition and insisted he is what Strictly ‘is all about’.
Following the emotional dance gosulli wrote: ‘Whatever the judges say about the footwork, the feeling & emotion of that was just lovely! Pete’s what this competition is all about!’
Agreeing, eastendrose_ said: ‘that was one of my faves of pete’s regardless, the storyline and choreography was beautiful’.
Patty8862 described Pete and Jowita’s chemistry as ‘gorgeous’ while orangina17 tweeted: ‘Wonderful job, what a journey he’s been on, Pete’.
Insisting that Pete deserves his place in the contest, LondonSandIII penned: ‘Pete Wicks absolutely deserves to still be there. Beautiful dance that was’.
‘Wobble aside, @P_Wicks01 did well in that dance. He is working hard on his dancing. A totally different Pete from his first dance, he wants to make Jowita proud, bless him’, added RachelleLcoolJ.
Speaking after his dance, Pete shared how much he has grown to ‘enjoy’ dancing, having started out without a scrap of experience.
He told host Claudia Winkleman of the waltz: ‘I enjoyed it. Weirdly enough, the further on that I have miraculously got in this, the more I’m enjoying the whole dance thing.
‘I’m actually enjoying it rather than just thinking about it all the time, so I’m loving it, genuinely, loving it.’
Heaping praise on her partner following weeks of romance rumours, Jowita was ever the proud pro: ‘No matter what, I genuinely feel like you’re dancing.
‘You’ve danced tonight with me on that floor, and that’s all that matters. I don’t care about the steps, I don’t care about the rules, you’ve been dancing and that’s the most beautiful thing you can do, so thank you for that.’
Pete spoke this week about the toll Strictly has taken on him, having been on the receiving end of cruel trolling after the likes of Shayne Ward and Jamie Borthwick were eliminated before him.
They come after Strictly fanatics insisted the show had ‘stitched him up’ on several occasions by trying to portray him as the ‘joke’ act with ‘cringe’ choreography and outfits.
‘I’ve also had some death threats, which have been fun,’ he said on his podcast Staying Relevant.
‘It’s a dance show, boys and girls. It’s a dance show,’ he reminded listeners.
‘Someone actually wished death upon me on the dance floor the other day,’ he also shared, adding that someone wrote that they’re hoping he ‘gets booted out and breaks both legs slipping on the floor’.
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday and Sunday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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