When he was announced as a star of this year's Strictly Come Dancing lineup, Pete Wicks was considered as an unlikely signing by some.
A veteran of reality TV, the star has featured in all manner of series, from Celebs Go Dating to Masterchef, and more recently Celebrity SAS.
But after being paired with professional Jowita Przystal, Pete has already won over viewers just two weeks into the new series, and despite insisting he has little dance experience, has already been praised by the judges for his progress.
This weekend, he and Jowita will take to the dancefloor with a Samba to the theme song of the 1997 film George Of The Jungle, hoping to earn higher than their score of 22 last week.
Pete ditched his job in the City when he joined the lineup for The Only Way Is Essex back in 2015, but relationship woes and a messy split from Megan McKenna saw him painted as one of the show's biggest bad boys.
Pete Wicks has become an unlikely star of this year's Strictly Come Dancing, with many fans praising his 'likeable' persona after shaking off his bad boy image
However, Pete has found a whole new audience by leaving fans in hysterics with his chart-topping podcast with best pal Sam Thompson, after the pair formed a close bond while appearing on Celebs Go Dating.
Through his podcast success, supporting Sam on his I'm A Celeb stint, and simultanous appearances on SAS and Strictly, many fans have now praised Pete for showing a whole new side of himself.
Fans have also been taking to social media to praise Pete's appearance on the ballroom floor, with posts branding him 'likeable' and saying they've 'warmed to him a lot more than they expected to.'
He's also overcome his fair share of heartache, including the death of his Nan, who he called his 'best friend' in 2022, and saving his mother's life when he was just 12 years old.
MailOnline takes a look at how Pete has ditched his bad boy image to become one of Strictly's most surprising heartthrobs...
After growing up in Essex, Pete's career was kickstarted in 2015 when he made a guest appearance on TOWIE alongside James Locke, and went onto star on the show until 2023
While he left viewers in hysterics due to his dry sense of humour, it was his love life that dominated the show, including a fiery romance with Megan McKenna
Pete has sparked romance rumours with Love Island star Maura Higgins, with the pair putting on a flirty display during a night out earlier this week
After growing up in Essex, Pete's career was kickstarted in 2015 when he made a guest appearance on TOWIE alongside James Locke.
At the time, Pete was working 16-hour days as director of a company that supplied consultant doctors to the NHS, but he immediately caught the eye of TOWIE viewers with his distinct long hair and tattoos, and soon joined the cast in a full-time role.
While he left viewers in hysterics due to his dry sense of humour, it was his love life that dominated the show, including a fiery romance with Megan McKenna.
The pair's relationship hit the rocks when it was revealed he'd been texting other women behind her back, and he admitted in his book Never Enough that he was villified online during the fallout.
Opening about the end of their relationship on Celebs Go Dating, Pete said he's found relationships 'harder' due to the lack of a father figure in his life.
He added in 2019: 'I have done a lot of work, I'm in a better position than I ever have been.'
During his time on TOWIE, it was also revealed that he and his friend Chloe Sims had been 'sleeping together' for around two years, and in a dramatic episode of the show he told her: 'I can't be in a relationship, I can't give you what you want and I can't give you what you deserve and I know that.'
Pete also had another fling with his TOWIE co-star Ella Rae Wise, but faced scrutiny over their 11-year age gap.
He eventually decided to leave the show in early 2023, saying on the Not My Bagg podcast: 'I was starting to become the Ian Beale of TOWIE, just this sort of drunk in the corner, so it was definitely time for me to f*****g do one.'
More recently, Pete has sparked romance rumours with Love Island star Maura Higgins, with the pair putting on a flirty display during a night out earlier this week.
Family heartache
While he's previously painted himself as a hard-nosed bad-boy, Pete has overcome his fair share of family struggles during his rise to fame
Following his parents' split when he was 11, he became estranged from his father when he moved to the Middle East (Pete is pictured as a child)
In his candid memoir Never Enough, Pete also revealed he saved his mum Tracy's life when he was just 12-years-old after he found her in the kitchen after an attempted suicide
While he's previously painted himself as a hard-nosed bad-boy, Pete has overcome his fair share of family struggles during his rise to fame.
Following his parents' split when he was 11, he became estranged from his father when he moved to the Middle East.
Speaking to Jamie Laing on his Private Parts podcast earlier this year, he said: 'I have nothing to do with him, don't speak to him at all.
'My dad's not a bad person - he's a good guy. We just don't have a relationship and that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. We don't have a relationship and that's that. Not much I can do about it.
'It hasn't stopped me from wanting to be around people who do bring something to your life.'
In his candid memoir Never Enough, Pete also revealed he saved his mum Tracy's life when he was just 12-years-old after he found her in the kitchen after an attempted suicide.
Referring to his mum as 'the strongest woman I know, she's my hero,' Pete explained he came down into the kitchen to find Tracy sitting at the table covered with blood while holding a knife in one hand.
Pete recalled how he was terrified and immediately called his nan Doreen for help before also dialling 999.
As he waited for the ambulance, the star tried to stem the flow of blood and keep his mum alive as he recalled: 'I just went into crisis mode'.
He wrote: 'I saw her sitting at the table, which had been covered in blood. I saw the blood dripping first. She was holding a knife in her other hand.
'Immediately, I ran over to her to take the knife from her hand. Before that, she had seemed almost possessed – it was like my mum had gone and someone (or something) else had taken over her body.'
'But when I came over to her, it's like she woke up. She looked up at me with eyes full of tears. 'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry,' she kept repeating.
'I told her it was okay as I panicked trying to work out what to do. I called Nan. I could barely get the words out to describe what had happened. I think I basically just said, 'Mum... knife... blood.'
Pete's nan, who passed away in June 2022, instructed him to hang up and call an ambulance, as he continued in the book: 'I took her instructions, calling the ambulance, and then I got to work trying to look after Mum, who by that point was sitting on the floor and bleeding very badly.
'I grabbed towels to try to stop the bleeding. I poured the wine down the sink. It's hard to pinpoint how I felt in that moment, because I think it was just pure shock. I didn't cry – I just went into crisis mode.'
Pete wrote his new book to destigmatise talking openly about mental health and has recalled how the aftermath of the trauma had a huge effect on his life.
He explained he became incredibly protective of Tracy, who raised him as a single mum after she split from Pete's dad when Pete was 11.
In 2022, Pete was then left devastated by the death of his beloved grandmother Doreen, who he described as his 'best friend'
To help him cope, Pete said earlier this year he has 'a very good circle of strong women' around him who help him process his feelings (pictured with his grandmother)
He wrote: 'I didn't say it, but I believed it was my fault. I had been with Mum before it happened. I had agreed to go upstairs. I had stayed upstairs even though I could hear her wailing. If it was anyone's fault, it was mine.
'Looking back, I know that my responsibility was probably overwhelming in that moment. I was the child, and I needed to be looked after.
'Instead, I had to look after my parent and suppress all the fear, panic, loneliness and self-blame that was beginning to grow inside me.'
Fortunately Tracy made a fast recovery, and apologised to her son, describing it as a 'moment of madness' that would never happen again.
In 2022, Pete was then left devastated by the death of his beloved grandmother Doreen, who he described as his 'best friend.'
The star described her as his 'biggest support' during his turbulent teenage years, and even has a tattoo in her honour.
Writing his memoir, Pete said: 'The day she died, I had been in London seeing friends. Mum called me and told me I needed to get to the hospital quickly.
'Mum and I sat either side of her, holding each hand. I can remember the last words she said to me as if it were yesterday: ''You're my soulmate''.'
To help him cope, Pete said earlier this year he has 'a very good circle of strong women' around him who help him process his feelings.
He said on Lorraine last month: 'She was amazing Doreen, just an angel on earth. She had a major impact on my life and loosing her is the toughest thing I've ever been through.
'She was more than a grandma she was my best friend. You can't really understand your own emotions and feelings. Mine came out as anger because I couldn't process what I was feeling.
'I surround myself with a very good circle of strong women, it's really important.
'Women are so much more important at understanding and getting through difficult situations.
'The boys go to the pub and it's like "you alright, how are you" and that's it. It does make a massive difference, it's not just about talking it's having someone just to listen.'
