Strictly Come Dancing’s professional dancer Jowita Przystal confessed her love for her celebrity dance partner Pete Wicks following the semi-final of the BBC dance show

Reality TV show legend Pete Wicks has broken his silence after becoming the latest celebrity to leave Strictly Come Dancing.

The former TOWIE star and dance partner Jowita Przystal missed out on a place in the final during tonight’s Results Show as they lost the dreaded dance-off for the first time. While many will miss Pete on their screens, some Strictly fans feel the Celebs Go Dating star lasted longer in the competition than he should of and accused the judges of showing favouritism.

Taking to Instagram as his exit aired on BBC One, Pete seeming addressed the criticism as he told fans you “don’t always have to be the best or have the most talent” to excel. He penned: “The past 3-4 months have been nothing short of incredible. I spent 12 weeks saying my time in the show was gonna be over and each week I was wrong…until now. I couldn’t be happier with the way it ended, there is no one I would have rather been in a dance off with than Tasha. She is the most beautiful dancer, the most beautiful person inside and out and I’m so proud of her for making the final because she deserves it so much.

He continued: “The only reason I stayed in the show for so long is because of you, the people. You supported me throughout and that is something I’ll never be able to forget and something I never expected. We went on this journey together, the ups and downs and with the right attitude, it’s about learning and it’s about entertaining. I tried my best from day 1 and I took the show seriously, I did what I could and I appreciate every single one of you that gave me the opportunity to keep doing that week on week. You don’t always have to be the best or have the most talent, but you should never stop trying! Thank you.

Strictly’s Jowita Przystal gushes over celebrity partner Pete Wicks ( 
Image:
PA)

“The show isn’t just what you see on a Saturday night, it’s not all jazz hands…there are an unbelievable amount of wonderful people that make it all happen. From top to bottom, the people that make the show are f**king magical. Every department is full of people who care, who create and work so hard to make Strictly what it is. Thank you all for putting up with me for so long!”

Pete concluded: “Lastly but most importantly, this experience wouldn’t have been anything without Jowita. She believed in me since the first day and never stopped. She supported me, listened to me, made me laugh and cry but most of all she made me believe in myself when I didn’t think I could do it. We did everything our way, and for me that was the right way. I’m so sorry that I couldn’t get you to a final, I tried my best and you deserve to be there. The show may have ended for us but one thing won’t, you will always have a friend in me. You have become such a special person in my life and just because that won’t continue on a ballroom floor doesn’t mean it won’t continue. Unfortunately for you, you’ve gained a friend for life. You will always be my dancing gnome.”

Speculation over Pete’s romance with his professional dance partner Jowita, has been as much of a talking point as his performances on Strictly Come Dancing. And while the pair have done their best to avoid addressing speculation, it seems they have formed an incredibly strong bond over recent months. And Jowita made her feelings known when she spoke about Pete’s dancing journey since joining the BBC show.

When asked about her time on the competition the professional dancer said: “I just want to say thank you, thank you for the trust you have given me since day one. I know it wasn’t easy, but with your hard work, your commitment and your heart, which is the most amazing thing, you were winning every week. For me, every dance was special … even the cha cha in Blackpool!” She added: “Remember on day one you said ‘I’m not going to stay long in this competition because I cannot dance’ but now I can say to you, yes you can.”

Meanwhile, Pete called Jowita his “ray of sunshine”, as he praised her for his incredible journey. Speaking of his time on the show, Pete said: “It’s been wild. I’ve been quite honest about the fact that I didn’t necessarily want to do this (Strictly) in the first place, but everyone else wanted me to do it, and I am so, so glad that I did it. You don’t always have to be the best, but if you enjoy something then why shouldn’t you have a go at it? I’ve tried my best from day one, I said I was in for a penny, in for a pound and I’ve done it – it’s been beautiful.”

And when asked about his partner, he continued: “There’s a lot of things I’m going to take away from this, but one of the most special things is you (to Przystal) and I mean that, because you’re one of the most incredible people – not just as a dancer – but as a person. You’ve been a ray of sunshine for me. You’ve helped me through things in the past three months that I didn’t think I could do and you made me believe in myself and that means more to me than anything.”

Their affectionate exchange comes after the pair teased fans towards the end of their Argentine Tango, as it looked as though they were about to kiss. Resting in his arms with her head tilted back, the pair were seen clutching each other’s face and viewers were led to believe that they were about to lock lips.

And this did little to dispel romance rumours among fans. Taking to social media, one fan wrote: “Wow Pete the near kiss at the end.” Another fan asked: “Did they kiss then?” A third person commented: “Did look like Pete and Jowita was going to kiss, they were that close.” Meanwhile a fourth person said: “The speed in which I zoomed to check if it was a real kiss.”