Pete Wicks Gets Candid About His Past Struggles – Admits to 15+ Years of Heavy Drinking Before Joining Strictly Come Dancing!
Pete Wicks Reveals Health Issue Stemming from Years of Poor Diet Choices
Pete Wicks has opened up about a health issue caused by his long-term dietary habits.
The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant has previously discussed his alcohol consumption, admitting that he was a “pretty heavy drinker” for over 15 years before joining the hit BBC show.
The 36-year-old says he would find himself “drinking for the sake of drinking” and would regularly consume a bottle of wine a night, every night. But after discovering it was difficult to learn his dance routines with a “slightly fuzzy head”, Pete decided to cut back.
He has since ceased “day drinking” and while he occasionally enjoys “a few drinks with the boys”, it’s not a daily occurrence. During an episode of his Staying Relevant podcast with close friend Sam Thompson, Pete revealed that his excessive drinking had caused him to develop a “tremor”.
This revelation came when former England rugby player Joe Marler was asked what profession he thought ex-The Only Way is Essex star Pete would pursue outside of showbiz, reports Bristol Live. Joe suggested: “Pete, you’re a practical guy, I see you as a cardiac surgeon.”
Sam humorously proposed that Pete could be a roofer, to which Joe retorted: “Roofer? No, no, you’ve got to be a bit more butch, your hands aren’t rougher.”
It was at this point that Pete disclosed his high alcohol consumption had led to a problem with his hands. He explained: “That probably would have been good a few years ago but due to the alcohol, the tremor is an issue with that precise stuff.”
Pete opened up about his relationship with alcohol during an appearance on the Loose Women spin-off, Loose Men. He shared: “I grew up with family that had alcohol dependencies and I think I would never have considered myself to be someone who had a problem with drinking.
“But, Strictly really changed my drinking habits. Pre [Strictly] I was a pretty heavy drinker for 15 years, to the point where I’d have a bottle of wine a night, every night, and that’s just cooking and chilling out. It was my way of kind of chilling out, until I did Strictly and kind of stopped drinking and realised that actually, all that was doing was kind of numbing parts of my reality.”
He continued: “It became a habit to the point where I was functioning by just carrying on doing that and it didn’t really bother me. I didn’t get hangovers and I didn’t really get come downs or anything like that. I was just drinking for the sake of drinking but also, it gave me kind of a reason to numb how I was feeling a lot of the time.”
The Health Risks of Heavy Drinking: What You Need to Know
According to the NHS, heavy drinkers who suddenly cut back on alcohol may experience hand tremors, commonly known as “the shakes.” Other potential health issues linked to alcohol withdrawal include depression, sweating, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping.
A 1985 study further revealed that 41% of alcoholics who stopped drinking within 21 days experienced a “postural tremor,” highlighting the physical impact of withdrawal.
If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol consumption, visit the NHS website for more information or reach out to your GP for support.
