The Strictly star is campaigning for people to choose rescue dogs but when one pet who needs a new home is found to have cancer, it reminds him of his own health scare last year

Strictly star Pete Wicks was left tearful filming his new TV series about rescue dogs when a canine cancer diagnosis triggered his own health scare nightmare.

Seeing the sick pet brought back memories of when Pete, 36, feared he had testicular cancer – just like his uncle. The emotional former TOWIE star said: “Of all things, cancer is the one that is a bit close to home for me, whether it be humans or dogs.”

Speaking in the opening episode of For Dogs’ Sake, which launches next week, an emotional Pete refers to the lump he discovered in 2023. At the time he waited for three months before going to see a doctor because his uncle had had testicular cancer and he feared the same diagnosis.

Thankfully for Pete, when he finally did get it checked out, it proved benign – but the encounter with the rescue dog brought it all back. The TV star had immediately bonded with 10-year-old pug Murphy but was left shaken when the dog struggled to breathe under anaesthetic and they feared he might die. Although he pulled through, biopsies showed he had a cancerous lump in his groin.

Pete is an avid dog-lover and has been announced as a Dogs Trust ambassador

Pete, now dating Maura Higgins, has previously described himself as a ‘single dog dad’ ( 
Image:
Instagram)

Pete, who reached the Strictly semi-final earlier this month, explained: “Murphy’s diagnosis brought back some painful memories of testicular cancer in my family and also the scare I had when I ignored a lump for three months because I was so petrified of the diagnosis. It was a bit of a sore one for me. It is just a horrendous, horrendous thing.”

And he added: “It is hard whenever you see a sick animal who is potentially not doing great. He was a lovely little dog. So it upset me quite a bit if I am honest with you. I took it quite badly.”

In the series Pete, who owns two rescue French bulldogs called Eric and Peggy, highlights the ups and downs of rehoming pets rather than going to breeders. The avid dog-lover says his pair have “transformed my life for the better” and he is keen to promote rescue dogs as a viable option for those looking for a new pet. The UK has around 100,000 dogs in rescue centres but only one in five new owners has used their services.

Murphy was brought in to Basildon’s Dog Trust rehoming centre with his owners having to give him up because a family member had developed an allergy. The vets at the centre gave the dog a medical check and noticed he had strange lumps on parts of his body. When cancer was diagnosed, due to his age, it was decided it would be kinder to give him palliative care rather than invasive surgery and chemotherapy.

With Murphy going to a temporary foster home, Pete says: “The only saving grace for him is that he doesn’t know he’s got cancer and he’s being made as comfortable as possible. He is now just living his best life and it is really lovely that someone is able to give him that kind of love.”

– Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake launches on U&W on Tuesday January 7 at 9pm.

With Murphy going to a temporary foster home, Pete says: “The only saving grace for him is that he doesn’t know he’s got cancer and he’s being made as comfortable as possible. He is now just living his best life and it is really lovely that someone is able to give him that kind of love.”

– Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake launches on U&W on Tuesday January 7 at 9pm.