Pete Wicks hits back at 'illegal' lift criticism on Strictly Come Dancing

Pete Wicks has hit back at Craig Revel Horwood's criticism of his 'Strictly Come Dancing' performance last weekend.

The 35-year-old reality star and his professional partner Jowita Przystal were blasted by the judge for "illegal" lifts in their rumba to Oasis' 'Don't Look Back in Anger' but he insists that the moves "felt right".

Pete told spin-off show 'It Takes Two' on Thursday (24.10.24): "I've never been one to follow the rules."

Jowita revealed that the lifts needed to feature in the performance for practical reasons due to her small stature.

The 30-year-old dancer explained: "First of all, it's just because my legs are too short and that's the reason why they didn't reach the floor.

"The truth is that we tried it, and it was just so beautiful that I didn't want to bother about, 'Oh, let's bend the knees 2cm down so my foot can reach the floor.'

"It was all about feelings and that storyline."

The performance scored the couple just 22 points out of 40 but Pete leapt to the defence of his partner and suggested it was the "most vulnerable" dance that he had done on the BBC show.

The former 'The Only Way Is Essex' star told host Janette Manrara: "That's why we did it, because it felt right. I don't think you should get any blame for that."

Pete added: "As far as I'm concerned, that's the dance so far that I've enjoyed the most, surprisingly.

"I felt like I was just dancing as me rather than just trying to remember steps, and that's the first time I've done that."