Strictly's Pete Wicks forced to address romance rumours with pro partner Jowita Przystal

Pete Wicks has denied a romance between him and his Strictly Come Dancing partner Jowita Przystal, saying they are "good friends".

Viewers of the BBC dance competition have speculated about a possible relationship between the The Only Way Is Essex star and dancer Jowita over the past few weeks after noticing the chemistry between the pair.

During an appearance on ITV's This Morning on Wednesday, Pete and Jowita put the rumours to rest. When asked by host Alison Hammond if he is in a "love bubble" with his pro partner, the 36-year-old responded: "It's not a love bubble, unfortunately.”

"We have great chemistry because we've become such good friends. 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," he added.

On whether he finds the rumours annoying, he said: "It's always the same. I'm used to it. (For) ten years that's all anyone has ever really been interested in, is that side of stuff. But we don't really listen to all of that."

This isn't the first time Pete has denied rumours of a romance with Jowita. During an appearance on Olivia Attwood's podcast, So Right It's Wrong, the reality star was asked whether the pair were romantically involved, to which he said: "Oh my god! No, obviously not."

He went on to say: "She's amazing and I get on really well with her. She's honestly one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life," he continued, before insisting: "She's really positive, she's really nice, she's got a very good sense of humour so she's the best person I could've been with but it's not a romantic thing."

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Pete has also been linked to former Love Island star Maura Higgins. The pair were spotted looking cosy while on a night out in east London earlier this week.

However, Laura appeared to quash rumours of a romance between the pair during a recent appearance on Paul Carrick Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast. The 33-year-old said that she and a celebrity she knows, who is currently a contestant on Strictly, are "friends".

"We just get on very, very well," she said after the Celebs Go Dating expert told Maura he had seen her standing next to the individual in a lift at the Baftas.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC One.