Pete Wicks has admitted on Instagram on Sunday that he has had a ‘tough week’ on Strictly Come Dancing – after former Love Island star Maura Higgins confirmed they are dating.

The former TOWIE star revealed ‘various reasons’ are behind his hard week but he now has ‘nothing to lose’ and is excited to take to the dance floor once again to entertain BBC viewers.

For the performance, the podcaster transformed into the Joker for the spooky Halloween special as he performed an amazing Viennese Waltz.

Pete shared a photo of himself dressed in character wearing a red suit, green dyed hair and the Jokers red smile painted on his face.

He wrote: ‘It means a lot to us. More than you could imagine…it’s been a tough week, for various reasons but we can’t wait to try and entertain you all again.

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Pete Wicks has admitted on Instagram on Sunday that he has had a ‘tough week’ on Strictly Come Dancing despite soaring through to icons week

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Pete’s dancing prowess has been overshadowed over recent days by confirmation that he is dating Irish influencer Maura (pictured together in a recent TikTok video)

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 The former TOWIE star revealed ‘various reasons’ are behind his hard week but he now has ‘nothing to lose’ and is excited to take to the dance floor once again to entertain BBC viewers

‘Prepare yourself, we have nothing to lose @jowitaprzystal’

Pete’s famous pals rushed to the comments to share some supportive messages to the star including his partner Jowita Przystal, who penned: ‘Nothing to lose partner’.

This last week Pete’s dancing prowess has been overshadowed over recent days by confirmation that he is dating Irish influencer Maura, 33.

The pair, who were first romantically linked in August and have since kept a low profile, shared a tender moment in the corner at the Pride Of Britain after-party on Monday evening.

Maura – a former Love Island finalist – was seen planting a kiss on Pete’s nose before the pair were spotted canoodling at London’s Red Bar at the Grosvenor House Hotel.

A day earlier, Pete showed off his impressive Strictly moves as he danced with Maura in a recent TikTok video.

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For the performance, the podcaster transformed into the Joker for the spooky Halloween special as he performed an amazing Viennese Waltz

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View gallery

Pete shared a photo of himself dressed in character wearing a red suit, green dyed hair and the Jokers red smile painted on his face

He wrote: ‘It means a lot to us. More than you could imagine…it’s been a tough week, for various reasons but we can’t wait to try and entertain you all again’

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The reality star added: ‘Prepare yourself, we have nothing to lose @jowitaprzystal’

Pete’s famous pals rushed to the comments to share some supportive messages to the star including his partner Jowita Przystal, who penned: ‘Nothing to lose partner’

The couple were previously seen together enjoying a night out at The Ship in Wandsworth alongside his Strictly friends.

An onlooker exclusively told MailOnline that the pair were inseparable, whispering in each other’s ears and even interlocking legs as they enjoyed a drink alongside Wynne Evans, Tom Dean and Jamie Borthwick.

The eyewitness shared: ‘They were all over each other, I was surprised to see them looking so close because I thought he had real chemistry with Jowita.

‘At one point they were basically straddling each other and didn’t seem to care at all that people could see them.

‘You’d think Pete would be more concerned about Tom given he’d just been given the boot on Strictly but he only had eyes for Maura all night!’

The situation became even more complicated as Maura baffled fans while looking cosy with Strictly star Kai Widdrington during Monday’s awards do.

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Pete and Maura, who were first romantically linked in August and have since kept a low profile, shared a tender moment in the corner at the Pride Of Britain after-party on Monday and she since shared a TikTok video of them together

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Pete and Maura were previously seen together enjoying a night out at The Ship in Wandsworth alongside his Strictly friends

Kai, 29, and Maura looked very close after the ceremony, with the pro dancer tightly wrapping his arms around the presenter.

At one point, Kai appeared to twirl Maura before heading into a different room together.

Kai is believed to be single at present following his split from fellow professional Nadiya Bychkova.

A Strictly source told Mailonline the latest romance twists will do little to dampen the show’s reputation for its stars hooking up.

The insider said: ‘Kai and Maura getting close while she’s still got feelings for Pete, who is now infatuated with Jowita, just sums up Strictly right now.

‘It’s a never-ending conveyor belt of relationships and flings, which shows no sign of ending.’