Inside Sam Thompson and Pete Wick's close bond from TV co-stars to 'brothers'

11 December 2023 , 14:16

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Inside Sam Thompson and Pete Wick's close bond from TV co-stars to 'brothers'

Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks brought contrasting reality shows Made in Chelsea and TOWIE together when they became close mates four years ago - and they truly are best friends on and off camera.

The Staying Relevant podcast hosts have shared their special bond with the nation on ITV's I'm A Celebrity, and brought fans to tears when they heartwarmingly reunited on air in the Aussie jungle. With Sam's girlfriend, Zara McDermott, tied to a Strictly schedule in the UK, Pete was chosen to fly out to support Sam Down Under.

After Sam was crowned the winner of I'm A Celeb 2023 last night, the pair are celebrating in the five-star hotel and enjoying each other's company once again. Speaking on Lorraine this morning, Sam shared his gratitude for his closest pal and said: "Pete is the best mate anyone could ever ask for... I'm so lucky to have a friend like him."

Pete and Sam first met while filming Celebs Go Dating in 2019 and became friends off-screen (Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

The duo have a podcast called Staying Relevant and film pranks and dance videos on social media (Daily Mirror)

Pete, 35, and Sam, 30, appeared on the same reality show back in 2019 - when they both took part in series six of Celebs Go Dating. They were paired up on the programme to help each other find dates and kept in contact after the dating show ended. The pals became known online for playing pranks and filming dances, with Pete's intolerance for Sam's joyful personality sending viewers into hysterics.

At first, Sam had to 'beg' Pete to join in on his hilarious and ridiculous TikTok videos. Earlier this year, Sam confessed to the Mirror : "I beg Pete and sometimes I have to pay him." He continued: "You've got to sort of beg, borrow and steal but when they [Pete and Zara] do it, it's okay because they sort of get into it and they have fun while making it. Yeah, Pete especially is tough to get involved."

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Sam revealed Pete sometimes gets "f***ing livid" behind the scenes of certain videos, and when they first started making content together, "he just hated everything about it" and was convinced people wouldn't find them funny. But unsurprisingly, fans fell in love with the duo and they ended up having to do more and more.

The pair landed their own segment on E4 called Pete and Sam's Reality News before they launched their own podcast in 2022 called Staying Relevant. The award-nominated podcast recently celebrated five million downloads and has hit the number-one comedy chart on numerous occasions. Recently, the pair announced they would be taking their podcast on tour next year, with four dates around the country.

Pete's softer side was shown on ITV as he embraced his love for Sam during their two reunions (ITV)

Those familiar with the duo's candid clips will know Pete does his best to hide his emotions towards Sam - but has finally admitted his true feelings. During a recent interview on KISS Breakfast, Pete said: "I love you! That's the only time I'm going to tell him that because if I tell him he gets too excited, and it makes everything a little bit weird."

Pete added: "Despite the fact that he looks at me like his dad, I actually look up to Sam because he's one of the happiest most genuine people I know and I love that about him. I would never tell him that because there'd be tears and he'd never let me live it down but that is the God's honest truth. I think he's a wonderful, wonderful human being and I wish I was more like him."

Pete also revealed how close the pair got before Sam's trip to Aussie. The TOWIE star said that he took Sam to have his back waxed - and things soon took a weird turn. He explained: "I took Sam for a waxing of his back and the other things that rhyme with back, and I had to hold a piece of his anatomy - because it had shrivelled up - so that she could wax it."

Sam and Pete stole viewers' hearts on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! with their close bond (James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

He continued: "This was recorded and there is video evidence. I don't know two best mates closer than that. It was like Earthworm Jim. It was a real struggle! There wasn't much to wax I'll be honest with you so at least it didn't go on for too long!"

And their bromance was made apparent when Sam honoured his best pal while doing a trial on the show. During the Bushtucker trial, viewers and his girlfriend Zara heard him say: "Do it for Pete." Immediately Zara took offence and made her feelings known on Instagram. She jokingly wrote: "Is he saying 'Do it for Pete?' Where's 'Do it for Zara?' Is he alright? I'm really not happy with [this]!"

Nia Dalton