The electric hum of London’s O2 Arena, a sea of adoring fans screaming in delight as Strictly Come Dancing sensation Jowita Przystal locks lips with her smoldering ex-partner, The Only Way Is Essex heartthrob Pete Wicks. It was the kiss that set social media ablaze last week—a fiery, passionate clinch that screamed romance and had everyone whispering about a real-life love story unfolding on stage. But hold onto your dance shoes, because behind that sizzling moment lurked a backstage horror show straight out of a nightmare. Pete, 36, has spilled the beans, and it’s a tale of dropped partners, dodgy dimensions, and sheer grit that turned potential catastrophe into pure magic.
On the latest episode of his cheeky Staying Relevant podcast with best mate Sam Thompson, Pete didn’t hold back. “There were so many moving parts to this—rigging fg pyrotechnics, all sorts of stuff,” he confessed, his voice laced with the kind of raw honesty that only comes from surviving chaos. “We had fg nightmares with Jowita and the f*****g silks—God, that was a worry.” We’re talking aerial silks here, folks—the daring, gravity-defying stunt that had Jowita soaring like a goddess while Pete played the ultimate showman below. But rehearsals? A total trainwreck. “On the Wednesday, four times we got to [practise] the silk, and on the show day, three times. We’d only done it seven times in total. And I dropped her four [times] out of seven.” Dropped her. Four times. In a routine that could have ended with more than just bruised egos.
And if that wasn’t hair-raising enough, Pete dropped another bombshell: the tech gremlins that nearly derailed the whole extravaganza. “We’d never done it with the lighting, we’d never done it in the O2 on the stage,” he admitted. Then came the killer curveball—the stage itself. “When we got to the O2, the stage for the dance, which we’d obviously rehearsed on the dimensions of the stage, was two feet shorter than what it was supposed to be.” Two feet! In a high-stakes aerial act packed with pyros and precision, that’s not a minor glitch—it’s a recipe for disaster. One wrong twist, and what could have been a viral triumph turns into a viral tumble.
Yet, against all odds, the crowd was spellbound. That undeniable spark—the same scorching chemistry that rocketed Pete and Jowita to fifth place on last year’s Strictly Come Dancing—ignited the arena like wildfire. Fans couldn’t get enough of their sultry tango vibes, the way Jowita’s lithe grace intertwined with Pete’s rugged charm. It was electric, intoxicating, and yes, it culminated in that unforgettable kiss that left jaws on the floor.
Pete Wicks isn’t exactly a stranger to the spotlight. The reality TV kingpin has conquered Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls, braved the brutal Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, whipped up drama on Celebrity MasterChef, and charmed (and heartbroken) his way through endless rounds of Celebs Go Dating—even its lockdown spin-off, Celebs Go Virtual Dating. But this? This feels like the plot twist no one saw coming. The ultimate serial dater, once infamous for his whirlwind romances, might just have met his match. That on-stage embrace with Jowita, 31, wasn’t just showbiz flair—it hinted at something deeper, more enduring.
Since their Strictly days, Jowita has been Pete’s rock, a “constant presence” through the stormiest chapters of his life. When his high-profile split from Love Island bombshell Maura Higgins turned ugly, it was Jowita who stood by him, offering quiet strength amid the headlines. The very next day after their O2 triumph, she lit up Instagram with a glowing post: “Still buzzing” from the night that redefined their story. Fans lapped it up, but insiders know the real tea.
A close pal dished to the Daily Mail that Jowita is utterly smitten: “She adores Peter and thinks he is an old-school charmer.” Last month, he whisked her away on a dream date to catch Oasis rocking Wembley Stadium—a nod to their shared love of nostalgia and high-energy vibes. And that O2 spectacle? All Pete’s brainchild, a grand gesture to sweep her off her feet (safely, this time). “They are both free spirits and love having a lot of fun together,” the source gushed. “She knows exactly how to put a smile on his face and he does the same for her. Their connection is the real deal.”
From silk-spun scares to stage-sized shocks, Pete and Jowita didn’t just survive the chaos—they owned it, transforming backstage pandemonium into a performance for the ages. Is this the start of Strictly‘s hottest off-screen romance? One thing’s for sure: in the world of glitz and glamour, sometimes the best love stories are born from the brink of disaster. What’s next for these two? We’re hooked—and we bet you are too.