Strictly’s Jowita Przystal gushes ‘best night of my life’ with Pete Wicks after sparking ‘kiss’ frenzy

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Strictly Come Dancing’s Jowita Przystal and Pete Wicks(Image: Pete Wicks Instagram)

Jowita Przystal has admitted to having the ‘best night of her life’ when she performed alongside her former Strictly Come Dancing partner Pete Wicks.

The pair have remained close since their stint in the BBC One dance contest in 2024. Viewers watched Pete and Jowita make it to the semi-final of the hit dance show last year, before they missed out on a place in the final.

Fans will recall that they departed the hit dance show during week 12 after landing in the dance-off for the first time in the penultimate week of the competition alongside eventual finalists Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec.

Away from dancing, Pete and Jowita have remained firm pals and are quick to show each other support publicly. But last year, they sent fans wild with rumours they are dating when they performed together and locked lips in front of a packed O2 Arena in October during Pete and Sam Thompson’s live Staying Relevant podcast show.

The following month, during a chat on ITV’s This Morning to promote his new show, Pete was asked about the moment when pressed by host Ben Shephard. He said: “It’s all part of the choreography, it’s the magic of showbiz. Jowita is such a good friend of mine and that dance was something we didn’t get to do on Strictly because we didn’t make the final because I was useless!”

When Ben continued to push, Pete added: “It’s a choreographed thing, she’s a very good friend of mine, obviously she was paired up with Ross, sadly they went out. I love [watching her now.] I spent three months in dance prison and thankfully was released in the semi-final, and I will never go back again.”

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Jowita and Pete during their Strictly stint in 2024(Image: PA)

Now, Pete and Jowita have spoken about their performance together for the first time. As the dancer returned to the Staying Relevant podcast, Pete asked: “Did the O2 dance on the night go exactly as planned or did anything go wrong that the fans don’t know about?”

Pete then explained: “I was absolutely petrified. That’s probably the most petrified I have ever been. I was more nervous about the dance at the O2 rather than the rest of the show.”

They went on to share how “everything could’ve gone wrong” as Jowita used silks during the performance, meaning she was suspended above the stage for some of the routine. “I was panicking,” Pete again admitted. “I went into panic mode because I thought I’m going to f**k this up.”

And he wasn’t alone as Jowita confessed: “Do you want to know the truth about the O2? I was panicking as well… I’m hanging up from a piece of fabric, and if I’m not at the perfect angle then you’re not going to catch me. We’re both going to fall and roll over.” Pete responded: “I didn’t know that you were panicking as well. Because I have never seen you panic.”

But Jowita went on to conclude: “That was the best night ever in my life. That was the most important, the most proud moment of my career as a dancer.” Pete then gushed: “It was one of those things, we’ve never spoken about it publicly, you and I. But, it was a really, really special moment for you and I to be able to do that. And the reason I was so genuinely f***ing nervous is because of all the things we have done – Strictly was amazing. I loved the whole thing because I got to do it with you. And you dragged me through it.

“But it was a competition, and it was kind of like a job. Like I had to do it. But I didn’t have to do the O2. I chose to do the O2. I chose to do it with you because you mean so much to me. And you had already choreographed the whole thing, because you believed we would get to the final. And I wasn’t good enough, I didn’t get you there. So, I wanted to be able to do that so we had the whole thing together.”