Pete Wicks has bravely shared that he believes he’s in need of “therapy” after a distressing incident with his mum deeply affected him.
The Strictly Come Dancing celebrity opened up about a haunting event from when he was just 12 years old involving his mother, Tracy, whom he also fondly mentioned as his “hero”.
Describing the harrowing day, Pete recalled walking into his kitchen to find his mum had tried to cut her wrists with a knife. He immediately phoned his grandmother, Doreen, for help, and she instructed him to call an ambulance right away.
Talking to the Mail, Pete expressed his profound bond with his nan: “Oh my God. My rock. Nan was the one who held me together. We never talked that much about it, but she knew. To be honest, it was only when she died (in 2022) that I started really trying to process how it had affected me.”
The star, best known for his appearance on The Only Way Is Essex, confessed he feels like the “No 1 candidate for therapy” but mentioned one key stipulation for seeking professional help, reports Lancs Live.
Continuing his conversation, Pete said: “I 100% need it. I’m probably the No 1 candidate for therapy. They’d have a field day! No, I just never thought it would suit me, although I’m coming round to the idea a little more now. But it has to be in my own time.”
Discussing the traumatic childhood experience further, Pete recounted finding Tracy at the table amidst blood, which led him to quickly act and remove the knife from her grip, as detailed in a report by the Mirror.
Pete shared that Tracy “seemed almost possessed”, describing it as if his mum “had gone and someone (or something) else had taken over her body”.
After dialling 999, Pete tried to stem the bleeding with towels, admitting he was in “pure shock” and instinctively went into “crisis mode”.
Tracy, who brought up Pete in Harlow, Essex, after parting ways with his father, thankfully recovered swiftly and later described the incident to her son as a “moment of madness”.
He previously disclosed that Tracy had been the one to encourage him to participate in Strictly, a contest that saw the TOWIE star reach the semi-finals alongside his professional partner, Jowita Przystal.
However, it seems Pete has no intention of reliving the experience. Speaking on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch earlier this month, he expressed relief that it was over.
Despite this, Pete, who has since been romantically linked to Love Island star Maura Higgins, later confessed that he thoroughly enjoyed his time on the BBC show, stating he “absolutely loved it”.