No cameras. No script. Just cages, fear… and one life-changing decision.
When Pete Wicks stepped onto a remote dog-meat farm in South Korea, the former TOWIE star wasn’t chasing a storyline — he was answering a call for help that would leave him shaken to his core.
More than 170 dogs were crammed into rusted wire cages, many trembling, malnourished and moments away from slaughter. Some had been born there, never knowing grass, toys, or a gentle human touch. Others were believed to be former pets, abandoned or stolen
And this time… the world didn’t look away.
“THEIR EYES BROKE ME”
Working alongside international animal welfare charities, Pete joined a painstaking rescue mission to liberate every single dog from the site
Volunteers carefully lifted terrified animals from the pens — wrapping them in blankets, whispering to calm them, carrying them out into daylight for the very first time.
“You don’t forget those eyes,” Pete later said.
“They didn’t know what was happening — only that someone was finally being kind.”
A JOURNEY FROM HELL TO HEALING
After the rescue, the dogs began their long road to freedom — flown to the UK, US and Canada for medical treatment, rehabilitation and eventual adoption.
For many, it was the first time they felt:
clean air
soft bedding
hands that didn’t hurt
Pete was there loading carriers, calming frightened pups, and using his platform to shine a spotlight on a hidden cruelty most people never see.
MORE THAN A CELEBRITY MOMENT
This wasn’t about fame.
It was about responsibility.
About refusing to let suffering stay invisible.
“Cruelty survives when nobody looks,” a volunteer said.
“Pete looked — and he acted.”
His involvement helped drive awareness, donations, and global support for future rescue missions.
NOT THE END — BUT A BEGINNING
For the 170 dogs saved, this is the start of a new life.
For countless others still trapped, it’s a warning to the world.
And for millions watching, it’s proof that compassion isn’t loud — it’s hands in cages, tears in silence, and choosing to do something when it would be easier to walk away.
Pete Wicks didn’t rescue 170 dogs alone.
But he stood there.
He lifted them.
He stayed.
And because of that…
170 lives now have something they never had before: hope.