Pete Wicks playfully responded with just three words regarding the whispers about his relationship with Maura Higgins.
The former TOWIE personality, aged 37, is rumoured to have been seeing Maura since before Christmas, with the pair reportedly spending Christmas in her native Ireland. However, the pair have not been drawn into their apparent relationship, reports Lancs Live.
When Maura appeared on ITV’s Loose Women, she declared her “dating show days were done,” but sidestepped a direct answer when Katie Piper probed: “So is that you saying you’re not single?”
Maura responded: “No, did I say that? I know what you’re doing! No, I never said anything, next question.”
And when Frankie Bridge pressed for more, Maura maintained there was “not much to tell”.
Now Pete has also spoken out about his connection with the 34-year-old former I’m A Celeb contestant. When asked about their relationship by the Daily Mail, Pete said: “We’re very close.
“We’ve got the same sense of humour. She’s incredibly funny and lovely, and was very supportive when I was in Strictly.”
Pete says fans often think the pair have only known each other for “six months” but in reality they have been friends for six years. The star admits there hasn’t been a hint of romance previously.
Pete, who made it to the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final last year, “learnt the hard way” to keep his private life out of the spotlight after his highly-publicized split from ex-girlfriend Megan McKenna. It ended when Pete was reportedly caught sending racy messages to an ex-girlfriend.
He acknowledges a “fear of commitment,” attributing it to “cliché abandonment” issues stemming from past experiences. Pete shared: “That probably has been driven by different things that have happened in my life.”
While he’s uncertain if he’ll end up alone, Pete does harbour hopes of settling down and having children, though he feels he needs to “work some stuff out for myself” before taking that step.