Strictly star admits BBC series ‘puts strain on relationships’ after curse claims

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Strictly Come Dancing star Pete Wicks has said that going on the show is ‘all-consuming’ as he addressed the notorious Strictly curse.

The Towie star, 37, was believed to have been dating Love Island’s Maura Higgins, 34, at the end of last year alongside his stint on the BBC reality series with pro-partner Jowita Przystał.

Although the rumoured couple remained tight-lipped about their relationship status, they were spotted on a Christmas getaway before news broke they had decided they were ‘better off as friends’ at the start of this year.

In the I’m A Celeb jungle, Maura told Oti Mabuse she had been seeing someone but was ‘not in a relationship’ and then uploaded a picture of roses labelled ‘to me, love me’ on Valentine’s Day to double down.

The semi-finalist has been similarly avoidant, telling Lorraine that he had ‘left the talking about romance thing in the past’.

Now, however, he has shared his thoughts on the Strictly curse, a long-running theory that a real-life couple always breaks up, whether due to the intensity of the experience or after falling for their dance partner.

Maura Higgins and Pete Wicks were rumoured to be dating last year (Picture: Getty) During the time Pete was on Strictly Come Dancing (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)

‘You do spend so much time with people so, of course, you become incredibly close with someone. But that could be the same on any show. I think it’s just now this thing that the press do,’ Pete told Sam Thompson on the Staying Relevant podcast.

‘Do you think it’s bodies pressed up against each other?’ Sam posed to Pete, reiterating his point with various innuendo-filled hand gestures.

Pete dismissed the idea quickly, continuing: ‘I mean it’s quite intense and whatever else. I don’t think it’s the bodies pressed up against each other.

‘I think it’s the experience you only know and go through with that one person. I think it’s more that than it is the bodies pressed up against each other

‘You don’t just f**king wander around with a hard-on all the time. I don’t think that’s why that happens. Obviously, you go through something, there’s a lot of pressure. It’s all-consuming.’

After questioning why Strictly stands out compared to other shows where romances can also happen like I’m A Celebrity, he added: ‘Strictly has become “ooo the Strictly f**king curse” because of how it’s seen.’

It’s believed the pair decided to remain friends earlier this year (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire) He said that the experience is ‘all-consuming’ and could certainly put ‘strain on a relationship’ (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)

He also acknowledged the lengthy process from rehearsals to the final through to the live tour.

He explained: ‘Bear in mind you’re there for three and a half months, four months, so if anyone splits up with people during that period, which could happen at any other point of the year, it’s because of Strictly or because they did Strictly.’

When Sam pushed back that it ‘does happen quite often’, Pete said: ‘That’s 15 people every year. It’s a very heavy period which I think takes its strain on relationships, I don’t think it’s because of someone.’

One couple who may have felt the strain of the ballroom floor is Love Island duo Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page who ended things earlier this year after two years together and purchasing a home.

‘Tasha was madly in love with Andrew but the cracks started to show when she appeared on Strictly.

Strictly star Tasha and boyfriend Andrew ended things after the show finished (Picture: Getty)

‘She gave her all in that competition. Her focus was purely on her dances with Aljaz and that drove a wedge between them as time went by,’ an insider told The Sun.

Tasha recently spoke up about the break-up after Andrew shared he had ‘cried more than ever’ and was moving out of their shared home.

She said in a Snapchat story: ‘I won’t be speaking on the situation – it’s a private side of my life which I’m still dealing with internally and mentally.

‘It’s private for me and as much as I do want to share it with you all, one day I will, but I’m still processing everything that has happened and going on. I hope you can all understand on why I’ve not spoken out on the situation.’

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