Pete Wicks reveals the surprising career he had before reality TV fame

Pete Wicks has revealed the very surprising career he had before finding fame on reality TV.

The TV favourite, 37, rose to fame on The Only Way Is Essex when he joined the cast in 2015, making big storylines with his romantic life and complicated friendships.

After quitting the show in 2023, Pete took on other big projects such as Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity SAS, and started podcast Staying Relevant with best pal Sam Thompson.

But before his successful TV career, Pete told Paul C Brunson on his We Need To Talk podcast that he had a corporate job. 

He explained: 'I became an accountant. When I was 15 I got my mum to drive me round and drop a CV off. Then I became one and hated it. 

'And someone I knew had a recruitment company. I was in London, got to wear a suit and then I just seemed to be aright in it. By the time I was 20/21 I was earning a bit of money.'

Elsewhere during the interview, Pete revealed he received death threats daily and had 'people spit at him in the street' after it emerged he cheated on ex girlfriend Megan McKenna in 2016.

Their turbulent relationship formed one of the biggest storylines on The Only Way Is Essex after it was revealed he cheated on her.

The reality star, 37, who now shares an amicable friendship with Megan, 32, spoke about the extreme hate he received off the back of their breakup.

Megan, who welcomed her first child Landon Henry with her fiancé Oliver Burke in October last year, previously said how TOWIE was 'one of the most miserable times of her life'.

After years away from the reality TV show, Pete told Paul C Brunson on his We Need To Talk podcast : 'I have never experienced... it's really hard when I looked back on it to think about how bad it was because at the time I was going through a break up with Megan that everyone knew the ins and outs of it.

'I was getting death threats daily, I had people spit at me in the streets, I had people send me videos of dolls they made hanging from trees that they were burning.

'I had a lot at the time, I felt like I was a national hate figure, like public enemy number one.

'But all I was bothered about at the time was Megan and the fact that I lost Megan and had upset her. I felt so so guilty, so so guilty.

'But with that on top I was just all over the shop but it is what is it. The annoying thing is people say "If you're in the public eye then you put yourself in for these sort of stuff".

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Pete Wicks finally discusses his feelings for Maura Higgins in emotional interview

'And completely, you put yourself in a position where you allow people to make judgement and allow people to have opinions.

'You know I was even getting death threats through Strictly for still being in the competition because there were better dancers leaving and it does get to the point where I don't think anyone deserves death threats, it does get a bit f****** silly.'

He added: 'Don't get me wrong, I was in the wrong and always held my hands up about that. But it was something between Megan and I.

'I never meant to hurt her and obviously I did. But the attention that that got and what that bought with it, I was just dumbfounded, I didn't know what to do.

'It's made me very wary, It's made me wary of people and has made me more private. That's when I realise from that point there is two [of] me. The private me and very public me.'

Pete finally discussed his feelings for Maura Higgins in the emotional interview.

Confessing that his relationship with Maura has become more serious recently, Pete said: ' We spend more time with each other than we did before.'

Pete, who started dating Maura last August, added: 'Maura and I have known each other for a long time now, about six years. We have the same sense of humour, she's super intelligent and I think that is sometimes what people don't realise about Maura.

'She's incredibly witty and we have always been there for each other in the past six years at a distance where we have always kind of been friends and been there for each other and whatever else. And that I mean is different now.

'We spend more time with each other than we did before. I think she's an incredible person, she was incredibly supportive to me when I was in Strictly and as I did to her when she was in the jungle.

'She's a great person so my relationship with her is that I think she's a great person and I hope that she would think that I'm alright.'

'Are you great together?', Paul asked.

Pete joked: 'Oh I see where we are going with this Paul, it is very very nicely done. The thing is with me and Maura is, like I said, we have known each other for a long time and we have never kind of not got on.

'We do spend more time together now than we have done before and as a person and you'll know having met her.

'When people are around me and Maura it is quite fun. There is so many similarities, she is a great person to spend time with and yeah we do spend time together.'

He added: 'I'm at a different stage in my life now where the points that always made me known which was always my relationship or the drama and the reality background is not something that I am really doing anymore.

'The reason I say that and I'm very thankful to all of the things I've done before that but now is the private me and the more vulnerable me is that I'm putting out one version of me which is why I need to protect that. I no longer feel the need to have to give everyone that.'