Pete Wicks' exasperated response to love life speculation after steamy kiss

Pete Wicks has set the record straight after being asked if he's in a 'love bubble' with his Strictly dancing partner, Jowita Prystal.

The , 36, risked elimination last week after receiving just 31 points for his Viennese Waltz to That's Life by Frank Sinatra. The duo will be rehearsing hard for their week seven performance, where they're slated to take on the Salsa to Queen's legendary hit Another One Bites the Dust.

But outside of gruelling training, rumours have started circulating that Pete and Jowita have become close. It comes after the TOWIE almuni was spotted kissing star Maura Higgins at the last month, despite being overheard declaring: "I'm single."

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Speaking exclusively to the , one attendee revealed how they overheard the Pete talking about his single life at the event's afterparty. "He did look cosy with Maura at points but he wasn't shy about telling people he was single," the . "He was proudly declaring himself single on the red carpet during interviews and even made a joke of not being in a relationship in the bar after the awards."

Appearing on ITV's to discuss his Strictly stint so far, the star explained how he gets into a 'bit of a bubble' when performing, adding: "I'm kind of in my own little . When asked by host if that's a 'love bubble' with Jowita, Pete replied: "It's not, unfortunately.

"No, it's not a love bubble. We have great chemistry because we've become such good friends. She's one of the most amazing people I've ever met, genuinely. Not just on the dancing side of things but outside of that [too]."

Seemingly fed up with the speculation about his love life, the star added: "It's always the same, I'm used to it. 10 years, that's all anyone is ever really interested in is that side of stuff, but we don't listen to all of that, it doesn't matter to us."

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Pete has already announced he isn't 'craving' a romantic partner, and admits he's not always been the best in relationships. In an interview with back in May, the celeb was asked if he'd ever been dumped via text message.

"Never, but I may have done it myself," he admitted. "I know that's horrendous but it was when I was younger, and I'm older and wiser now. And, I think a lot of people used to do that. I don't think as Brits we're very good at biting the bullet so we drag things on because we don't want to be horrible, then it gets to the point of a text because we're too cowardly to do it properly."

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