Pete Wicks shares traumatic childhood story

Pete Wicks saved his mother when he was just 12, after she tried to take her own life.

The 36-year-old 'Strictly Come Dancing' star opened up about the devastating incident which took place over 20 years ago as he called his beloved mother Tracy "the strongest woman I know".

Writing in his memoir 'Never Enough: My Words Unfiltered', Pete said: "I saw her sitting at the table, which had been covered in blood. I saw the blood dripping first. She was holding a knife in her other hand.

"Immediately, I ran over to her to take the knife from her hand. Before that, she had seemed almost possessed – it was like my mum had gone and someone (or something) else had taken over her body.

"But when I came over to her, it's like she woke up. She looked up at me with eyes full of tears. 'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry'.

"I told her it was okay as I panicked trying to work out what to do. I called Nan. I could barely get the words out to describe what had happened. I think I basically just said, 'Mum... knife... blood'."

Pete's nan told him to hang up and call for an ambulance and he wrote: "I took her instructions, calling the ambulance, and then I got to work trying to look after Mum, who by that point was sitting on the floor and bleeding very badly.

"I grabbed towels to try to stop the bleeding. I poured the wine down the sink. It's hard to pinpoint how I felt in that moment, because I think it was just pure shock. I didn't cry – I just went into crisis mode."

Tracy, raised Pete as a single mum after she split from his dad when Pete was 11 and he admitted he blamed himself for her attempt.

He said: "I didn't say it, but I believed it was my fault. I had been with Mum before it happened. I had agreed to go upstairs. I had stayed upstairs even though I could hear her wailing. If it was anyone's fault, it was mine.

"Looking back, I know that my responsibility was probably overwhelming in that moment. I was the child, and I needed to be looked after.

'Instead, I had to look after my parent and suppress all the fear, panic, loneliness and self-blame that was beginning to grow inside me."