Pete Wicks on Olivia Attwood Romance: “We’re Happy, We’re Good”
Pete Wicks and Olivia Attwood have only been dating a bit less than three months, yet some are already jumping on the bandwagon.
“We’re being asked questions like ‘When are you getting married?'” Pete Wicks chuckles. “It would be rather strange to pose that kind of question to a couple just starting; however, Olivia Attwood and I were already very well known in the public eye, so it was natural for us to just ignore it altogether.
We’re happy; we’re good. That’s basically all that matters.”
As a person who has been part and parcel of the celebrity world, Pete understands very well. After appearing on a UK Channel 4 series, The Only Way Is Essex in 2015, allowing a crew of cameras to catch his romantic life and all the mess that comes with it, he was thrust into fame. But now, over ten years later, his profession and career path seem very different.
It was the late morning when Pete and I caught up just after his brand-new series, “Pete Wicks’ Man Made”, got two wins at the British Podcast Awards, including the award for best interview podcast. There was no night-out partying, though: “I don’t like drinking, so I was really good-behaved and went straight home to spend the night with the dog,” he laughs.
Pete Wicks: It’s Great To Be With Olivia Attwood
In addition to his career that seems to develop rapidly, there are also quite a few interesting changes in his private life. Pete Wicks (37) and Olivia Attwood (35) ended up together after the split between Olivia and footballer Bradley Dack (32) that took place in January and that had lasted more than a decade.
The couple have not officially confirmed their relationship publicly yet; however, speculation has grown when their affectionate display was caught on camera with a kiss, which happened in March, just two months before the actual declaration of a relationship made jointly on Instagram while they were vacationing in Ibiza.
“Well, we’ve only been together since February, but some people say we’re like the NASA launch team of celebrities, always showing up in public. However, we’re genuinely happy, and it means a lot to us. We really enjoy each other’s company.
Naturally, since we are both within a similar business arena, our experiences at work are quite similar—so we are very supportive of each other… And Liv is probably the hardest-working person I have ever met. Although I myself work quite a lot, Liv’s dedication is much beyond mine. ‘The advantage of having someone who understands what life is like on these tours is really quite special, because it’s quite unpredictable and it’s not exactly normal.’
He adds that he doesn’t really mind being under the spotlight, and it is quite a surprise for even such a simple dinner that he and she can have together that becomes a topic of conversation among people.
Pete Wicks on Being Judged for TOWIE Past
He says, “Of course, everyone has relationships, but it gets really big when we go out for dinner. I mean, we’re just having a date night in the way that any normal couple would. But the fact that we are in the public eye means that we can’t really do anything to change that, and at the same time, people sometimes forget that we’re just regular people.” Away from his TOWIE days, Pete has tried competing in Strictly Come Dancing, presenting documentaries, and hosting the wildly popular Staying Relevant podcast, in which he partners up with his very best friend Sam Thompson, aged 34. In fact, the duo was revealed this week as the official red-carpet hosts at the Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards. However, Pete confesses that no matter how successful he is, people continue to be biased towards his TOWIE phase. “And I’m pretty sure that there are always people in the world who just can’t let go of that image. That’s what people always say: ‘Oh, that was who used to be on TOWIE’,” Pete reveals.
Pete Wicks Reflects On His TOWIE Past And Pride In For Dogs’ Sake Success
It was 10 years ago, and the person that I am right now has changed significantly. Similarly, the person I am right now is most probably a very different person than the person I’ll become in 10 years. One of the projects he’s particularly proud of is Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake, which has returned for its fourth series.
It’s a show he was trying to get made for years. Back then, there wasn’t really much interest from the broadcasters.
Nevertheless, the show—which features the rehabilitation of abandoned and neglected dogs at Dogs Trust—has since won a lot of awards, such as the Broadcast Digital Awards’ Best Popular Factual Programme.
An animal in the latest series turned out to be very problematic. Last month, over 250 poodle crosses were found by rescuers in a house. The story was so awful that it featured on the news throughout the country. RSPCA took an extraordinary photo showing many filthy, matted dogs tightly packed in one room, eyes looking straight at the camera. Pete’s programme then showed how dogs were being looked after at Dogs Trust’s Canterbury centre.
“I’ve been involved in numerous animal cruelty cases, even outside the programme, but these four dogs were by far the most withdrawn ones that I’ve ever seen,” he explains. “I think it’s highly likely they were born in that very house and never left it!”
Pete Wicks Says He’d Do For Dogs’ Sake Show “Till I Die” After Harrowing Rescue Case
The creatures were so terrified that the making crew was unable to shoot scenes featuring them in their standard manner. They decided to place cameras in a studio where Pete and a behaviourist could have their work quiet with the dogs. Pete recounts that, “At first they wouldn’t even come out to the light; they didn’t want to be near me. They refused to eat. It really made me sorrowful.”
Determining this, Pete has gone about his day without being on camera by just sitting beside the animals so that the animals get used to him. “I think these dogs are worse than all the 20 years that I have been around. In terms of their mental health.”
He does not know if they have found new homes, but he is sure that the viewers will notice a massive change in the dogs anyway. “I’d like to keep on making this programme even after my death, if they’d allow me,” he says. “The nature of this work is highly demanding and physically taxing, but, at the same time, it is the happiest time of my life that I have ever been able to experience,” says he. A day before the conversation, Pete was receiving honours for a series of podcasts which were made by Man Made, among them, a very rare exclusive interview with Sir Keir at the Downing Street.
Pete Wicks Surprised He Was Allowed Into Downing Street For Starmer Interview
During their talk the ex-Prime Minister was moved while speaking of the loss of his brother Nick, who had mental disabilities and succumbed to cancer on Boxing Day 2024.
Pete jokes when I mention that I was a bit jealous of what he got out of the prime minister. “The only thing I could really expect to be let in is 10 Downing Street, so it’s quite nice, really. That is something of which I had not really seen myself capable before,” he states.
“Political agendas aside, underneath a politician is human – a man, to that matter – which is the source of his emotions and feelings, and thoughts, much in the same way as everyone else!”
One of the forthcoming projects with ITV is a programme with Sam, where men’s health and wellness issues will be discussed, including such things as biohacking and looksmaxxing, during which Sam and the narrator will experience various health tests and ways of improving themselves. “You see, it’s all about working out and taking care, whereas I don’t! I probably really abused my body over the past 20 years, so it’s pretty good when you kind of think of it and reflect on what that kind of stuff means.”
Pete Wicks’ On Olivia Attwood Romance And Loving His Work
For all the awards and new commissions Pete has received, he says he’s still learning while doing. Especially when it comes to talking to people who tell him about their lives.
“Every week brings a new lesson,” says Pete. “I love the stories that the guests reveal to me, and it’s definitely something from the heart.” With projects aplenty and running, it seems that he is right where he is supposed to be; Pete’s happy with what he has. “Being this way,” he says, is really a gift. “It is very rare that someone can be so grateful for and proud of their job.” There are probably very few people who can say that they love the job they are doing at the office.
