TOWIE star Pete Wicks begs Strictly Come Dancing viewers to 'give him a chance'

Pete Wicks wants 'Strictly Come Dancing' viewers to "give him a chance" in the competition.

The 36-year-old reality star is best known for appearing on 'The Only Way Is Essex' and recently admitted that he had "never" watched the BBC Latin and ballroom show before signing up for it but insisted that his brash demeanour has become a "caricature" over the years.

He told The Sunday Mirro's Notebook magazine: "It is a different kind of person that watches 'Strictly' and many will have a preconceived idea of who I am.

"A lot of press over the years has been a caricature of me. If viewers give me a chance, they might realise I'm not that bad. I just hope I don't make a complete t** of myself. I don't even dance at weddings- I stand at the bar and get p*****!"

Pete - who is also currently on screens appearing in 'Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins' and has also done 'Celebs Go Dating' and 'The Celebrity Circle' amongst others over the years - admitted that signing up for the dance competition series was not something he ever expected himself to do, and explained that his professional partner Jowita Przystał is determined to start the show all guns blazing.

He said: "I'm just a normal bloke from a council estate. I've done some mad stuff over the years, but the last thing I ever thought I'd do would be covering myself in sequins and learning dances I can't pronounce the names of!".

""Someone said, 'It's quite complicated for a first dance,' and Jowita went, 'No - we're coming into this competition kicking the door down!' I just hope she's not dragging me round like a corpse...