Former Strictly contestant Dan Walker defends fellow ‘worst dancer’ Pete Wicks as the TOWIE star progresses to the semi-finals amid backlash

Former Strictly Come Dancing star Dan Walker has defended fellow ‘worst dancer’ Pete Wicks as he progressed to the semi-finals of the show.

TOWIE star Pete, 36, has come under fire in recent weeks from some who questioned his ability to stay in the competition when they believed other ‘better’ dancers had been sent home.

And on Monday night, journalist Dan, 47, – who appeared on the show in 2021 – wrote on Instagram: ‘As someone who has been ‘the worst dancer in the competition’, we can all decide to leave @p_wicks01 (and to some extent height @chrismccauslandcomedy) alone?

‘It’s a TV show and he’s only there because we, the viewers, want him there.

‘Strictly has always been a mix of people who have dance experience and people who start from scratch and get better as they go.

“Pete learns so much from @jowitaprzystal and deserves to be there as much as anyone else. He is what the show is all about!

TOWIE star Pete, 36, has come under fire in recent weeks from some who have questioned his ability to stay in the competition, while what they say has seen other ‘better’ dancers sent home

“Throw away the bile and threats and enjoy the biggest thing on the box for the last two weeks.”

Dan took part in Strictly in 2021 and danced with pro Nadiya Bychkova. They lasted until week 11, finishing fifth overall in the league.

It comes as strict insiders have declared that underdog Pete could take the Glitterball Trophy despite consistently finishing bottom of the leaderboard.

The star and partner Jowita Przystał, 39, sailed through to the semi-finals on Sunday night despite being the lowest scoring couple for the third week in a row.

Instead, Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe took on Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec in the dance-off, with Montell and Johannes ultimately getting the boot.

The news that Pete had survived another day came as a huge shock to fans, who had predicted he would be the next to be eliminated, with several furious viewers demanding he ‘resign’ from the competition.

While even the reality star himself couldn’t believe his luck after his unpolished Waltz to Somewhere from West Side Story.

After learning he had survived, an emotional Pete choked back tears as he admitted: ‘I’m speechless every week, especially this week’.

Acknowledging that the public had voted to save him, he joked: “I think they might be playing a cruel joke on me” before saying: “I couldn’t be more grateful, I’m so humbled by it honestly.”

Dan, 47, – who appeared on the show in 2021 – wrote: “As someone who has ‘been the worst dancer in the competition’, can we all just decide to leave @p_wicks01 alone?

Dan took part in Strictly in 2021 and danced with pro Nadiya Bychkova. They lasted until week 11, finishing fifth overall in the league

But according to The sunthere were many who were not surprised that Pete advanced to the semi-finals, even predicting that he could win the show.

The podcaster has reportedly received a lot of public support and the title of ‘People’s Champion’, thanks to his charm and enthusiasm, rather than his dancing skills.

A TV insider told the publication: ‘It seems that when it comes to Pete, there is a surge in support among viewers at home who see him as a potential ‘People’s Champion.’

‘After years of complaining about people with dance experience excelling on Strictly, he is clearly a complete amateur who has thrown himself into the competition and embodies the spirit of the show.

‘They don’t seem to want perfection, they want participants with real heart and perseverance.’

It came after fans were left furious by Sunday’s results, questioning how Pete managed to stay in the competition for so long despite the other celebrities being noticeably better dancers.

It comes as Strictly insiders have declared that underdog Pete could take the Glitterball Trophy, despite consistently finishing bottom of the leaderboard.

They raced to social media and said angrily: “Anyone who votes for Pete over Montell needs to take a good look in the mirror.”

“Pete isn’t on the level of either of them… it’s not fair to have Montell and Tasha in the dance! It should have been Pete who was going!’; ‘Every dancer has gotten better. Some more than others. Pete should be gone.’

“Pete’s act is tired and tiring. If he really wants to be the humble guy he claims to be, he should do the right thing and resign.”

Pete’s highest score of the series so far was 36 points in week eight, but since then he has consistently been the show’s lowest scoring contestant, receiving a paltry five from Craig Revel-Horwood on Saturday.