Pete Wicks admits his management ‘forced’ him to sign up to Strictly Come Dancing

Pete Wicks admitted it took a lot of convincing to sign up for the new series of Strictly Come Dancing.

The former TOWIE star (35) admitted he wasn’t a fan of the show and was begged by his manager and close friend Sam Thompson to sign up for the BBC One show.

Sam’s girlfriend Zara McDermott appeared in the BBC series last year, before reports emerged that she was “punched and kicked” during rehearsals by now-fired professional Graziano Di Prima.

Pete told Sam on their Staying Relevant podcast about his own appearance on the show: ‘It’s the last thing I think anyone would ever think I would do. I’ve never thought about doing it. I’ve never really watched Strictly.’

He continued: ‘You like to have a trial day, where I got to spend an hour seeing how I did with one of the pros.

‘And I’ll be honest with you: I went because I was more or less forced into it by my management, Sam and everyone who was obsessed with Strictly.’

“And I did the tasting and I thought it was f****** amazing. I really thought it was amazing.”

Although he now enjoys the training, he admitted he regrets giving the costume department free rein.

“You also see the costume team and they discuss what you like to wear, what you’re comfortable in and how far you want to go with that,” Pete explains.

‘I spoke to my management beforehand and they said to me, “For a penny, for a pound.” So the costume lady said, “We’re going to have fun.” I immediately regretted saying that.’

Pete is apparently nervous about what people will think of him when he takes to the dance floor in front of millions of viewers.

He concluded: ‘So many people are going to watch it, but they’re people who don’t know. They’re going to f****** hate me.’

Zara McDermott has already given her verdict on her good friend Pete’s new look ahead of his Strictly debut.

The former Love Island star, 27, appeared in the BBC series last year before reports emerged she was “punched and kicked” by now-fired professional Graziano Di Prima during rehearsals.

In a hilarious clip shared to the show’s official Instagram page, Pete, 36, wore a plunging floral suit and sparkly trousers.

The caption read: ‘Your Strictly countdown has begun! There are only 15 days left until Pete brings the tan to Tango!

Zara, who is in a relationship with Pete’s boyfriend Sam Thompson, said: “The sequins really suit you.”

Earlier this month, Zara broke her silence after it was confirmed that Pete had signed up for the latest series of the show.

His appearance surprise to some viewers, given his friendship with Zara and her boyfriend Sam, after her negative experience.

The documentary maker shared the news on Instagram in support of Pete, saying it made her “so happy.”

Zara reposted the official announcement, writing: “I’ve never been so excited. Love you.”

She added in a comment: ‘This makes me so happy. You’re going to have the best time. I’m so proud of you. I can’t wait to see you in some glitter and maybe even some hot pants.’

Sam also shared, “No words. So proud of you… the content we’re going to create that you don’t even know about yet.”

Despite their close friendship, he has secured a spot on the Strictly line-up after shocking reports emerged that Zara performed on the show with a ‘broken’ leg as a result of an injury during training and needed painkillers to get through the ten-hour rehearsals.

The latest revelation comes after professional dancer Graziano, 30, admitted kicking Zara during their sessions, leading to him being fired from the BBC series.

This follows claims that his abusive behaviour was captured on video, with Zara calling the footage ‘extremely painful to watch’.

A source told MailOnline: ‘Zara is so happy that Pete has got the job on Strictly.

“Her experience on the show was so individual – she hopes no one has to go through this again.”

They added: ‘She knows Pete will have a great time and could even impress the judges. He is incredibly hardworking and a good person and will thrive in an environment that can be intense, but he performs best when challenged and under pressure.

‘Zara doesn’t want what happens to her to get in the way of his Strictly adventure and is supporting Pete, even though it’s a little close to home.’

Last year, Pete sat in the Strictly studio audience with Sam and together they wore printed shirts with Zara’s face on them to show their support.

They posed for pictures with Zara and Graziano, who has since fled to his native Sicily after being sacked from Strictly.