TV star Pete Wicks is set to star alongside a new cast of four legged friends as he joins Dogs Trust to film Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake.
The former The Only Way Is Essex star, who took part in the most recent series of Strictly Come Dancing, has now worked at the Basildon Dogs Trust rehoming charity and seen its work across the UK.
Pete revealed his latest project was 'heartbreaking' but one that he's 'so passionate about', and that he hopes viewers will see the 'heroic' work behind the scenes.
Pete opened up about why he chose to take part in the show as he said: "I’ve wanted to do a show like this for about ten years now. It’s taken a while to get it off the ground, but I am so happy it’s filmed, edited and ready to put out to the world.
"It’s hard for me to even call it a job because it hasn’t been a
job at all, it’s just something that I really love and I’m passionate about.
"If I had to do this every day and nothing else, then I’d be over the moon!"
He revealed the hardest part was meeting dogs that had a rough start in life, as he explained: "The look on those dogs’ faces - it’s the most rewarding but the most heart-breaking thing when we see a dog come in that has had a bad start in life or not been treated particularly well.
"It sounds wild but you can see the sadness in their eyes."
He added: "I’ve done some wild stuff over the years in terms of seeing some horrendous aspects to animal cruelty - I’ve filmed at dog meat farms and all sorts, and it never gets any easier, no matter how many times you see it.
"It’s hard because the dog can’t tell you what’s wrong.
"Even in a case where you get abandoned puppies who are days old, it’s not that they’ve been mistreated and have past trauma because you know their lives are going to be amazing from now, but the thought of someone abandoning them is heart-breaking."
The former TOWIE star also revealed that he hopes viewers see the hard work behind the scenes at Dogs Trust as he said: "I’m hoping it’s going to be something that people watch and relate to but
also learn from.
"I hope the viewer goes on the journey I went through, and they have empathy for all the stories we show.
"It aims to tell the stories of the dogs and the stories of the people who work at Dogs Trust, because they can’t tell it themselves – they’re the real heroes.
"To be honest, I just hope I did the dogs proud. That’s most important to me."
Asked to describe the new series in three words, Pete revealed: "Humbling, life-changing - and I’m going to use a phrase here instead of a word – all I’ve ever wanted."
Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake begins Tuesday 7th January at 8pm on U&W.
