Pete Wicks and Sam Thompson
Pete Wicks and Sam Thompson on their bromance, moving in together for their new show and why Sam’s given up trying to matchmake Pete
They may come from opposite sides of the reality TV tracks, but when The Only Way Is Essex star Pete Wicks met Made In Chelsea’s Sam Thompson on 2019’s Celebs Go Dating, they quickly formed a bromance.
Since, Pete, 32, and Sam, 28, have teamed up for a number of projects and we’re about to see them face their biggest challenge yet – moving in together to take part in Channel 4’s The Celebrity Circle For Stand Up To Cancer. The pair will be playing a game where celebrities hide in a social reality world either pretending to be another celebrity or being themselves to trick other famous faces also playing.
We chatted to the duo about their arguments and how they’ve managed to remain besties.
Why did you want to do The Celebrity Circle?
Sam: Who doesn’t want to live with Pete?! It’s like being a scientist, going into the wild and seeing how other species live. Pete: Sam wanted to do it together and I didn’t. Living with Sam was the most painful experience of my life!
So you didn’t work well together?
Pete: no, badly!
Sam: or brilliantly.
Pete: Sam’s the creative one who comes up with mad ideas. Then I put things into practice because I’m more logical.
Were there arguments?
Sam: We didn’t argue once.
Pete: What do you mean? We spent the whole time arguing! Sam: We bickered like a married couple – there’s a difference. We even got matching pyjamas.
Could you move in together?
Sam: one hundred million per cent.
Pete: I would never live with you. every minute was torture. I’ve lived on my own for a very long time, so I’m very much a lone wolf. Living with someone else was a struggle – especially someone who’s like a Duracell
Bunny!
You chose to catfish the other celebrities…
Pete: Sam and I aren’t particularly likeable so it’s a lot easier to be someone who is. We chose Countdown’s Rachel Riley. I don’t think anyone was expecting it. We made a better woman than we do men.
Have you ever been catfished?
Pete: I’ve been used as a catfish. There was a guy in Sweden who called himself Gabriel who was using my pictures for a couple of years and I had no idea. He built up an Instagram following of about 100,000 people and was talking to all these girls.
Sam, have you ever tried to set Pete up?
Sam: He doesn’t need it! also we did it on Celebs Go Dating and I picked completely the wrong girl, so I don’t think he’d let me again. But I love hearing Pete’s stories. Because of lockdown, he hasn’t really been dating and hasn’t found The one, but I like hearing who he’s talking to.
Pete: Sam lives vicariously through me. He gets a lot more excited about it than I do.
Would you do another dating show, Pete?
Pete: I’ve done every other dating show so I might as well. I’m so obsessed with Married At First Sight, but if someone walked down the aisle and saw me standing there, they’d do a runner before they even said, “I do.”
Do others feel like the third wheel in your relationship?
Pete: Wherever I go, people ask, “How’s Sam?” like he’s my wife. It’s the only successful relationship to come out of Celebs Go Dating.
Why do you think you clicked?
Sam: I’m the brother he never wanted and he’s the brother I never had. Without getting too soppy, I love how genuine Pete is. If I ever need advice, like when I was going through my little relationship blip [with Zara Mcdermott], Pete’s the first person I call. I love him to pieces. Pete: It makes me feel better that I’m caring for the community! In all seriousness, we’re from completely different backgrounds and ordinarily there’s no way we should be mates. However, I do love him. If anyone had anything to say about Sam, they’d have to go through me first.
Rianne Ison
The Celebrity Circle For Stand Up To Cancer is on nightly from Tuesday 9 March, 9.15pm, C4