Pete Wicks rumoured romance dashed as BBC Strictly star's reported flame makes bombshell declaration

They shared a tender moment at the Pride of Britain Awards after-party recently, kissing again at London's Red Bar at the Grosvenor House Hotel, and dancing together in a TikTok video.

Before Higgins jetted off to Australia to take part in I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! they were once again spotted on what seemed to be a date together.

However, the Love Island star seemed to have set the record straight before her jungle stint and shut down any rumours of their romantic relationship.

She told The Mirror: “I mean, I've been on a date with many people. I'm not [dating]. Where have you heard that? I date but I'm very much single.

“Honestly, I just think the interest in my dating life is so boring. People go on dates. Like everyone goes on dates, but then it suddenly becomes that I am in a relationship with this person, or that person.”

Ahead of entering the jungle, she told the same publication: “I've done the opposite of preparing myself [for the jungle]. I've tried not to think about it because when I think about it, I get so much anxiety.”

This isn’t the first time that Higgins has commented on her relationship with Wicks, as she previously told Paul Brunson on the We Need To Talk podcast: “We just get on very, very well. I adore him, he's an amazing person.

“Do you know what's so weird? We met very soon after my coming off Love Island and we just instantly clicked.

“Our humour is the same. It's like that sick, dark humour. It's very abusive. We abuse each other. Very nasty, it's hilarious. I adore him.”

Alongside the rumours of dating Higgins, Wicks has also faced claims that he is dating his professional Strictly dance partner, Jowita Przystal.

However, the star recently admitted that he was not in a “love bubble” and told ITV This Morning: “It's not a love bubble, unfortunately.

"She's one of the most amazing people I've ever met, genuinely, not just in the dancing side of things but outside of that and I think that helps us with the whole dancing thing."

The duo have made concerted efforts to shut down any hint of a romantic connection between them.

This weekend, the dancing duo will be performing the Tango to Easy Lover by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins after facing backlash from viewers for avoiding the dreaded dance-off last week.

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Last weekend, viewers were left disappointed with Wick’s Cha Cha and felt that he should have been sent home over Wynne Evans and Katya Jones.

The response sparked a “fix” row, which left Wicks to address the drama and admit that he knew he had “made mistakes”.