Pete Wicks Breaks His Silence on Engagement Rumours as He Admits: “I Absolutely Adore Her”

Rumours have been swirling that Pete Wicks has secretly got engaged to his former Strictly partner Jowita Przystal, after viral images appeared to show the pair cuddling up while Jowita flashed a sparkling ring.

Ever since their chemistry lit up Strictly Come Dancing, fans have been desperate to see the pair take their relationship off the dancefloor. At the time, however, Pete was dating Maura Higgins, who was appearing on I’m A Celebrity. That romance later ended in controversy after Maura accused Pete of cheating – and speculation about Pete and Jowita only intensified.

The rumours reached fever pitch this week when an apparently intimate image of Pete and Jowita began circulating online, prompting engagement claims.

Speaking on the January 29 episode of the Staying Relevant podcast, which he hosts alongside Sam Thompson, Pete finally addressed the claims. Sam admitted he hadn’t even heard about the engagement chatter until a listener emailed in with the viral image.

Sam described the post as coming from a Facebook page called British A-list, complete with a caption gushing that love “doesn’t shout, it simply shines,” and highlighting Jowita’s raised left hand and ring while Pete held her close. He joked that the image looked unbelievably real – almost too real.

Pete laughed as he shut the rumours down, saying that while the image had been doing the rounds for weeks, it was actually AI-generated. He explained that Jowita had sent it to him because it was appearing everywhere, but stressed that they are definitely not engaged. According to Pete, the original photo was taken outside the It Takes Two studios in Elstree some time ago, before being digitally manipulated.

Although he firmly denied any romance, Pete was full of praise for his former dance partner. He said they are exceptionally good friends and that he absolutely adores her, but made it clear they are not dating and certainly not getting married.

The clarification may disappoint fans, especially after the pair shared a kiss during a performance at London’s O2 Arena last year while Pete and Sam were recording a live podcast. That moment sparked another wave of romance rumours, but Sam later confirmed the kiss was fully choreographed – a point Pete agreed with at the time.

For now, Pete insists he and Jowita are simply close friends. Still, after hinting recently that 2026 could be the year he finally settles down, fans may not be giving up hope just yet.