Pete Wicks opens up about Zara McDermott's time on Strictly Come Dancing

Pete Wicks will soon be making his debut on the Strictly dancefloor, following in the footsteps of his close friend, Zara McDermott.

Zara competed on the last series and made it to Halloween Week with professional partner Graziano Di Prima. The former Love Island personality was in the headlines over recent months following the dismissal of Graziano, who it was revealed had kicked Zara during their training rehearsals.

Speaking to HELLO! and other media outlets ahead of the series, Pete spoke of Zara's time on the show, explaining: "Zara absolutely loved the show, and I know a lot of people that have done it previously.

"James Cracknell was a good friend of mine, so a lot of people told me different things. I don't know what to expect, and everyone's journey is completely different."

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The former The Only Way is Essex personality also spoke of the show's risqué costumes, joking: "I'm going in for a penny in for a pound, I've told the costume team to go as wild as they want.

"I don't know what that means, and instantly, when I said it, I regretted it. But there'll be some interesting outfits."

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Strictly has been under the spotlight due to allegations of the conduct of some of the professional dancers, leading to the dismissals of Graziano and Giovanni Pernice.

In a lengthy statement about her time on the show, Zara shared: "Strictly is one of the most magical shows on TV and one that I dreamt of being on since I was a little girl. When I was invited to be a contestant on the show it really was a childhood dream come true.

© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

"I fully understood the level of commitment and hard work that Strictly was going to be and I dedicated everything to it. I am a resilient person and I was fully prepared to put in whatever it took."

In a later part, she continued: "My experience inside the training room was very different. Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some events, as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch."

© Guy Levy

Graziano has since refuted the allegations of a kick, saying it was an "accident" and that he immediately apologised.

In the wake of the allegations, Strictly announced that it was introducing additional staff members, including chaperones who would be present in the training room with the dancer and celebrity at all times.

The Strictly Come Dancing 2024 launch show will air on Saturday 14th September at 19:20 on BBC One & BBC iPlayer.