Towie’s Pete Wicks talks relationship regrets and why he’s ready to settle down
There’s something about Pete Wicks.
His reputation as a ladies’ man (or “pantomime Lothario”, as he puts it) might go before him, but spend five minutes in his company and it’s really not hard to see what the attraction is… and why all too frequently it gets him into trouble.
He’s a natural flirt without being overbearing and his confidence doesn’t spill over into cockiness. Having said that, although he’s self-deprecating he’s also very aware – if not utterly brazen – about the effect he’s capable of having.
“Not many women would say they want a bloke who looks like he woke up in a wheelie bin with long hair and loads of tattoos,” he says. “I’ve been on dates where they’ve told me I’m as far from their type as you can get. But if you’ve got a connection, it doesn’t matter.”
However, despite the new series of TOWIE starting tonight cueing the inevitable love dramas that will unfold over the coming weeks, Pete, 30, who is also starring on E4’s Celebs Go Dating, is hoping for a quieter life.
His explosive 18-month relationship with TOWIE co-star Megan McKenna, 26, was marred by public bust-ups, many of them on screen and mostly stemming from her understandable trust issues.
In the early months of them dating, Megan found out that Pete had been sexting other women behind her back, and the discovery set the tone for the rest of their torrid time together.
They eventually split for good in 2017 and Pete started dating TOWIE’s Shelby Tribble, 26. But again it ended in heartbreak (for her) amid allegations he’d been up to his old texting tricks again.
While he holds his hands up to some appalling behaviour, Pete claims that the public perception of him is skewed and that he’s now ready to put the past behind him and settle down. He just needs to find the right girl – and deal with a few of his own issues first.
We sat down with Pete to discuss all things love, sex and how he’s going to do things differently in the future.
What impression do you think people have of you, Pete?
They think that I’m a nice guy with a bad side. When it comes to women, I’ve got a bit of a chequered past and that probably lets me down. I’ve had quite an intense, drama-filled few years, but I’m not really like that. I’m flirty, I like a drink, but I’ve become a pantomime Lothario.
What do you think goes wrong in your relationships?
I’ve got a bit of the self-destruct in me and I find it very hard to let people in. As soon as I start getting feelings, for some reason I go: “Nah,” and push them away. I do shoulder the blame for what goes wrong.
Do you get bored easily?
I’ve got the attention span of a goldfish. But in other areas of my life I’m completely focused and that makes me think that maybe I’ve not met the right person. My nan knows me better than anyone, and she seems to think I’m destined to be a bachelor for my entire life.
Have you ever been in love?
I think I’ve loved people, and at times I’ve thought I’ve been in love, but when I look back, maybe I never was. At the time I’ve thought I’ve meant it, but did I get carried away with things?
Is Megan your most significant relationship so far?
Yes. She’s the person I was with for the longest and the person who had the biggest impact on me. But it was very toxic for both of us. And when you come out of something like that, you look back and think there were a lot of things that weren’t right about it.
Like what?
It was almost like we were caught in an obsession and brought out the worst in each other. When it was good it was great, but when it was bad it was really, really bad. That’s not healthy for anyone.
Do you have regrets about the way you behaved during that relationship?
I never wanted to hurt her, but I did and I spent a long time regretting that. I spent so long paying for that – and feeling guilty and like I owed her – I became a different person. Sometimes it’s only when the s**t hits the fan that you realise what a prat you are. What I did was wrong, but it was my first relationship and I was used to being able to do what I wanted when I wanted.
Is sexting as bad as physically cheating?
Well, it’s not great, is it? Point blank, I never did anything physical with anyone else in the whole 18 months I was with Megan. Hand on heart, on my mum’s life I never did a thing. I think I enjoy the thrill without the intent of going through with anything. But is it still cheating? Yeah, it is. And if it had been the other way round I’d have been f**king raging. We were only three months into our relationship [when that happened], and considering we spent nearly 18 months together that was the beginning of the end.
So why did you stay together for so long?
It was a mixture of me wanting to try and put things right and prove people wrong, and the fact that the chemistry was so good.
And then there was Shelby…
We got on really well but there was something missing. You wonder if that’s something you can discover, but it has to be there from the start.
But you handled it so badly, keeping her dangling for so long!
I should have finished it, 100%. I never wanted to hurt her. That seems to be the story of my life. I don’t do things to be nasty, but I don’t deal with things well. In business I can be quite ruthless, but when it comes to relationships I need to be a bit more honest.
How are things between you now?
I’ve never got on as well with a woman as I did with Shelby, but I ruined that vibe and I miss her as a friend. I miss being around her. We’ve cleared the air and when we see each other we say hello. She seems a lot happier now. There’s no bad blood on my part. I know she was really angry and upset at the time – and understandably so – but she knows now it wasn’t right.
Do you have a type?
I find different things attractive about different people. I need to want to rip someone’s clothes off. That’s something you can’t learn – someone who has the presence that makes you gravitate towards them. It’s not necessarily about the way they look, it’s just something about them. I do have a penchant for fiery women. I know that’s not necessarily a good combination but it keeps things f**king interesting!
How important is sex?
Very important. You have to be compatible in bed. Sex is such a broad experience and if you don’t have the same views on it then it makes things difficult. Sex should be spontaneous, passionate and fun. If you have to think things through then it doesn’t feel right. If you don’t have that spark then it doesn’t work.
How many women have you slept with?
I’ve been single for a lot of my life so… There have been a few. From the ages of 17 to 25 I was f**king for fun. I was working in the City and trying to experience as much as I could and as many women as I could.
Hundreds?
It’s a lot. I’ve had amazing one-night stands and I’ve also had great sex in relationships. It depends on the circumstances at that moment. If you’re both on the same page then it’s f**king magical, isn’t it? It depends on your preferences, but if we both like the same things then we’re going to have a good time.
What’s been the best sex of your life?
I would say when I met someone a few years ago in Dubai. It was a very interesting night. It’ll make me sound a bit nutty if I tell you any more than that. It was a one-night stand but we were both on the same page at the same time and it clicked. Repeatedly.
When did you lose your virginity?
I was 15 in a toilet at the pictures. Romantic. It was with an older woman – she was 18 – and it was the best 30 seconds of her life. My mates had all had sex before me – I wasn’t the first at all.
Do you think there’s an issue in general with how male Towie stars treat women?
I know everyone thinks all TOWIE blokes do is cheat and all women do is moan. It’s very hard to have a relationship in the public eye where everyone has an opinion: “He’s a w****r, she’s a bunny boiler…” It puts things in the back of your head and it becomes difficult.
What about the way your co-stars James Lock and Myles Barnett were held up by Women’s Aid last year as “normalising toxic masculinity” for the way they spoke to their girlfriends?
On telly things are highlighted and heightened. Neither of them are disrespectful and they don’t treat women badly in my opinion. I personally don’t think the way they dealt with it was nice but I don’t think they deserved the abuse they got. You shouldn’t speak to women in that way, but we all make mistakes and the amount of s**t they got at the time, as if they were horrific abusers, is completely inaccurate. Things happen in the heat of the moment.
Why did you decide to join the cast of Towie four years ago?
I was an international sales director for a major healthcare provider and I loved the City life but I was burning out. I wanted to try something else.
Did doing The Island last year change people’s opinions of you?
People saw the raw side of me, the good and the bad things. People think reality stars are doughnuts who don’t have a brain or anything other to do than fall out of nightclubs. But I’ve worked, I’ve been through things. I might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I’m not a complete doughnut.
What does the future hold?
I love testing myself. I’ve got things to say. Animals are a passion for me and I’d love to do more around that and raise awareness. I’ve got my clothing brand Hermano, and a couple of other businesses I want to make as successful as possible. I don’t always know where I’m going, but I’ve always been fixed on where I want to be by a certain point.
Do you worry that the right girl might be put off by your past?
Yeah, but I’d never judge anyone for that and if they did then they’re probably not the right person for me.
You turned 30 in October – did it change your perspective on life?
It makes you think: “What am I doing? I’m 30 and I’ve still got a ponytail.” That’s a midlife crisis at my age! When you’re in your 20s you can still half get away with being a bit irresponsible. When you’re 30, you have to start thinking about where you’re going.
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Do you want to settle down?
Yes, and start a family – 30 is when you think: “F**k, I need to start thinking about that.” And the way I’ve been carrying on I’m not going to be able to.
What have the last few years taught you about relationships?
Don’t use your phone.
How about deleting your text messages?!
Just don’t send ‘em!
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