LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 11: Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks attend the NTA's 2024 at The O2 Arena on September 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images for the NTA's)

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Pete Wicks has jokingly hit out at close pal Sam Thompson over a double date invite (Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)

Pete Wicks has jokingly hit out at close pal Sam Thompson over a double date snub that made him feel “sad, lonely and depressed”. Pete’s comments came to light in an episode of the Staying Relevant podcast (October 27), in which he revealed that his friend and co-host, Sam, half-heartedly invited him to a double date over the weekend.

It seems that Pete was due to occupy what he perceived as a potentially awkward position at the Sunday roast, so he “declined” the invitation, claiming that it would be too “lovey-dovey”.

Pete, best known for his roles on Strictly Come Dancing and The Only Way Is Essex, also claimed that it was “sort of an invite that was thrown out there”. An amused Sam, who’s reportedly dating model Talitha Balinska, quickly jumped to his own defence.

Pete said: “It was sort of an invite that was thrown out there because he said he was gonna see me and then made it a double date. So, then I said, ‘Am I still seeing you later?’.” Once Sam explained who was attending, Pete says his pal had told him that he was “more than welcome”.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 10: Red Carpet Hosts Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks attend the NTA's 2025 at The O2 Arena on September 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images for the NTA's)

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Pete was due to occupy what he perceived as an awkward position at a Sunday roast (Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)

He continued. “Now, what that says to me is, ‘Come if you want, but it will be weird, and we don’t want you there. We don’t want you there, alright, because we’re going to be lovey-dovey feeding each other at the table and all the rest of it, and it might be weird for you to sit there.

“‘You know, ‘I know you’re sad, lonely and depressed, so it might be too much for you’.”

As he spoke, Sam could be overheard laughing and saying Pete was “wrong” and that his claims were “not true”. Once Pete had finished making his point, Sam insisted the Strictly star was “always invited” and was, in fact, one of the “first invited” to the Sunday roast.

He also explained that the other people who were due to attend had “dropped out”, reducing the setup to a double date . Pete added that part of him wishes that he’d simply “gone and just sat there”.

Sam replied that he would have “loved that”, but Pete believes this wouldn’t have truly been the case, as it would have taken away from the romance of the occasion.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 28: Sam Thompson (L) and Pete Wicks attend The British Podcast Awards 2023 on September 28, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

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Pete claimed that it was “sort of an invite that was thrown out there” (Image: Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Ima)

It follows reports that Pete had what was described by one fan as an “aggressive” kiss with his former Strictly dance partner, Jowita Przystal, during a live version of their podcast at London’s O2 Arena.

On September 19, Pete and Jowita performed a routine they’d initially prepared for the Strictly final before they were eliminated, and, over the course of the performance, the duo shared three kisses.

Both Pete and Sam addressed the moment, with the latter claiming it wasn’t an “aggressive” kiss and that it was simply choreography, insisting they should “put that out there right now”.

Pete reiterated Sam’s point, adding: “But yeah, it was part of the choreography.”