Pete Wicks has revealed he received daily death threats and had ‘people spitting at him in the street’ after it emerged he cheated on ex-girlfriend Megan McKenna in 2016.
Their turbulent relationship formed one of the biggest storylines in The Only Way Is Essex after it was revealed he cheated on her.
The reality star, 37, who now shares an amicable friendship with Megan, 32, spoke about the extreme hate he received as a result of their breakup.
Megan, who welcomed her first child Landon Henry with fiancé Oliver Burke in October last year, previously said TOWIE was ‘one of the most miserable times of her life’.
After years away from the reality TV show, Pete Paul C. Brunson opened up about his We need to talk podcast: ‘I’ve never experienced… it’s really hard when I look back to think about how bad it was because I was going through a breakup with Megan at the time and everyone knew the ins and outs of it.
“I got death threats every day, I had people spit at me in the streets, I had people send me videos of dolls they made hanging from trees and burning them.
Pete Wicks, 37, has revealed he received daily death threats and had ‘people spitting at him in the street’ after it emerged he cheated on ex-girlfriend Megan McKenna, 32, in 2016
Their turbulent relationship formed one of the biggest storylines on The Only Way Is Essex after it was revealed he cheated on her (pictured together in 2016)
‘I had a lot at that time, I felt like I was a national hate figure, public enemy number one.
“But all I was worried about at the time was Megan and the fact that I had lost Megan and upset her. I felt so guilty, so guilty.
‘But with that I was all over the store, but it is what it is. The annoying thing is that people say, “When you’re in the public eye, you’re putting yourself out there for this kind of thing.”
“And totally, you’re putting yourself in a position where you’re allowing people to pass judgment and people to have an opinion.
‘You know, I even got death threats on Strictly for still being in the competition, because better dancers were leaving and it’s getting to the point where I don’t think anyone deserves death threats, it’s getting a bit f****** crazy .’
He added: ‘Don’t get me wrong, I was wrong and always kept my hand up about it. But it was between Megan and me.
‘It was never my intention to hurt her, and of course I did. But the attention that got and what it brought with it, I was just stunned, I didn’t know what to do.
‘It’s made me very wary, it’s made me wary of people and it’s made me more private. From that moment on I realize there are two [of] me. The private me and the very public me.’
The reality star, who now shares a friendly friendship with Megan, spoke about the extreme hate he received following their split
Pete told Paul C. Brunson on his We Need To Talk podcast: ‘I’ve never experienced… it’s very hard when I look back to think about how bad it was because at the time I had a fracture with Megan. that everyone knew the ins and outs of it’
“I got death threats every day, I had people spit at me in the streets, I had people send me videos of dolls they made hanging from trees and burning them.”
Pete ultimately discussed his feelings for Maura Higgins in the emotional interview.
Pete confessed that his relationship with Maura has become more serious lately, saying:We spend more time together than before.’
Pete, who started dating Maura last August, added: ‘Maura and I have known each other for a long time, about six years. We have the same sense of humor, she’s super intelligent and I think sometimes people don’t realize that about Maura.
“She’s incredibly witty and we’ve always been there for each other for the last six years, from a distance where we’ve always kind of been friends and been there for each other and whatever. And I mean that now is different.
‘We spend more time together than before. I think she’s an incredible person, she was incredibly supportive of me when I was on Strictly, and just as I was of her when she was in the jungle.
“She’s a wonderful person, so my relationship with her is that I think she’s a wonderful person and I hope she would think I’m doing well.”
“Are you guys having fun together?” Paul asked.
Pete joked: ‘Oh, I see where we’re going with this Paul, it’s very nicely done. The problem with me and Maura is that, like I said, we’ve known each other for a long time and we’ve never really gotten along.
Pete ultimately discussed his feelings for Maura Higgins in the emotional interview
Pete described Maura as ‘super intelligent’ and ‘incredibly witty’ and finally spoke about their whirlwind romance after they started dating last August (pictured together in May 2024)
Pete confessed that his relationship with Maura has become more serious recently, saying: ‘We’re spending more time together than before’ (Maura pictured on I’m A Celeb)
‘When there are people around me and Maura, it’s quite nice. There are so many similarities, she is a great person to spend time with and yes we spend time together too,” said Pete
‘We spend more time together now than before and as people, and you will know that you have met her.
‘When there are people around me and Maura, it’s quite nice. There are so many similarities, she is a great person to spend time with and yes, we do spend time together.”
He added: “I’m at a different stage in my life now where the points that always made me known, which was always my relationship or the drama and the reality background, are not something that I really do anymore.
‘The reason I say that and I’m very grateful for all the things I did before that, but now my private self and the more vulnerable me is that I’m putting one version of myself out there and that’s why I need to to protect that. I no longer feel the need to give that to everyone.’