It’s a most unlikely friendship.
From east London comes Pete Wicks, the perma-tanned, blue-eyed cockney heartthrob who first made his name on ITV‘s reality TV juggernaut The Only Way Is Essex. And from the posher west side of the capital is Sam Thompson, the gushy, privately educated boy who struggled to get a date on the show that made him famous, Made In Chelsea.
‘There’s no way in a million years we’d be friends in normal life,’ says Wicks.
Yet since getting together in 2022 for their podcast Staying Relevant, the duo have become an unlikely hit. The podcast has evolved into a successful live show (there were sold-out events in 2024 and this year) and both are now significant solo stars (Thompson won I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2023, Wicks reached the semi-finals of Strictly Come Dancing in 2024). ‘We’ve done it by talking a lot of b*****ks,’ says Wicks. ‘But people seem to like us.’
We meet at a photo studio in west London. Wicks is a slightly reticent figure, hard to read behind shaded glasses and offering a handshake. Thompson is all upbeat puppyish energy and rushes forward for a hug.
‘The big difference between us is I just love meeting people,’ says Thompson.
‘They’re all right but you can’t trust them as much as dogs,’ counters Wicks (he has won an award for his TV series For Dogs’ Sake on the U&W channel).
Sam Thompson, left, and Pete Wicks wear suits and shirts from Reiss, accessorizing with bow ties from Next. Sam wears shoes from Bobbies while Pete wears a pair from Asos
They first met on the E4 reality show Celebs Go Dating in 2019. It was Wicks’s job to teach Thompson how to flirt.
‘Sam caught this girl’s eye and waved at her. He actually waved,’ cringes Wicks.
‘Yeah, true story,’ says Thompson.
But when one girl promised to go on a date with Thompson and then switched her attention to Wicks, the latter was outraged. ‘It deeply aggravated me, because he’s such a genuine, nice guy, for someone to disrespect him like that. It really got under my skin.’
‘No one had ever stuck up for me like that before,’ adds Thompson. ‘That’s the moment we became like brothers.’
Without each other they might have faded into post-reality TV insignificance, but Staying Relevant, as the name suggests, is a funny, quirky examination of friendship and fame. In June, the podcast triumphed at the Television And Radio Industries Club Awards and a book of the same name, published in October, became an instant Sunday Times bestseller.
Wicks was born in Harlow, Essex, and insists he never wanted to be famous. ‘I actually despise it most of the time,’ he says.
His parents split up when he was 11, and by 12 he was working odd jobs to help his single mum Tracy pay the bills. By his early 20s, he was making good money as a medical recruitment consultant in the City of London. Even when his friend and housemate James Lock was cast in The Only Way Is Essex, Wicks wasn’t interested. However, when the producers offered him a role, Wicks gave it a try, and seven seasons of stardom began almost instantly.
‘In reality TV, you get screen-time and stay relevant by being the a***hole who’s involved in some relationship drama or other and, frankly, I was good at it,’ he says.
Made In Chelsea star Sam wears trousers and Mango while The Only Way Is Essex heartthrob Pete wears a blue pair from M&S. The podcasters both relax in Kiltane polos and shoes from Bobbies
Meanwhile, over in wealthy Chelsea, Thompson was a 20-year-old working in a bar when the producers of Made In Chelsea came in for a drink. Thompson’s sister Louise was already a star of the show.
‘I desperately wanted to be part of it,’ says Thompson. ‘So I chatted up the producers and I lied about knowing [Made In Chelsea cast members] Jamie [Laing] and Alex [Mytton], and they gave me a chance.’
Unlike Wicks, Thompson struggled with on-screen romance. ‘Having a relationship on Made In Chelsea was brutal. Having your first date and your first break-up on TV, while having the mental age of an 18-year-old, was petrifying,’ he says.
After joining The Only Way Is Essex, Wicks was soon making a small fortune from public appearances. Girls would grab him or make lewd suggestions and at one stage he even needed a bodyguard. ‘The boyfriends could sometimes get a bit annoyed,’ he says.
On Made In Chelsea, Thompson didn’t get offered many appearances and on one occasion when he did, he had a kebab thrown at him and the DJ had to protect him from a hostile crowd. ‘Some guys on Made In Chelsea told me not to bother getting an agent because they thought I didn’t have a future in the industry,’ he recalls. ‘But you know what? That rejection spurred me on.’
The reality stars both wear jumpers from the Zara x Disney collection, with Pete also wearing trousers from the High Street brand and Sam wearing a white pair from Sandro
Wicks faced his own struggles. When he and fellow The Only Way Is Essex cast member Megan McKenna began dating in 2016, they became the show’s golden couple. Then, when a tabloid newspaper revealed Wicks was texting other women behind McKenna’s back, the reaction was extraordinary. He received abuse in the streets, even death threats.
‘When the world closes in on you, you have to start re-evaluating yourself,’ he says. ‘Does it make it right that you’re getting death threats? Of course it doesn’t. But you think, f**king hell, everyone hates me, and it teaches you a lot about yourself. We can all be good people when everything’s going well but you find out who you are when the s**t hits the fan. More importantly, it shows you who sticks by you.’
Wicks was praised for confronting his demons in his bestselling 2024 memoir Never Enough, and earlier this year he began asking notable figures what makes a modern man on a new solo podcast called Man Made (Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was recently a guest).
Wicks has been linked with everyone from former Love Island star Maura Higgins to Jowita Przystal (his professional dance partner on last year’s Strictly Come Dancing), especially since the latter shared a passionate on-stage kiss with Wicks at the recent Staying Relevant live show at London’s O2 Arena. Are they dating? ‘That was a choreographed kiss,’ says Wicks. ‘And, no, I’m not dating, but I wouldn’t tell anyone if I was.’
Meanwhile, in January this year, Thompson, 33, announced the end of his five-year relationship with former Love Island star Zara McDermott. She moved out of the home they shared in south-west London and shortly afterwards began dating former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson. That must have been tough, I say.
The pair embrace after Sam’s victory on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2023
‘Look, I can’t speak about Zara out of politeness, and I respect that we’ve both kept it that way. But I don’t know one person who enjoys going through a break-up. I needed therapy to help me process that change in my life. I worked so hard last year, I neglected friends and family, even myself a bit. One of the big takeaways was to give myself some time, otherwise the danger is you get ill. We like to think we’re superheroes but then we burn out.’
On Staying Relevant, Wicks and Thompson often discuss what it would be like if they had kids: they imagine daughters called Olive and Rose and speculate about these imaginary children’s lives. The show draws a monthly average of one million listeners who find it hilarious, but it also feels poignant.
They both want to be dads for real. ‘I’d love to,’ says Wicks. ‘But despite being 37 I’m not ready. There’s still so much I want to do and so much I need to learn about myself. But if the woman of my dreams came along…’
‘Mate, I’d love to have kids and I refuse to date unless I can see a long-term future in it,’ adds Thompson.
Thompson has a new girlfriend, DJ and model Talitha Balinska, who he had first met in 2023 at a photo shoot. They reconnected this year after he invited her to the Staying Relevant O2 Arena show. A few days after we speak, he confirms their relationship on an episode of the podcast, telling Wicks that he and Balinska have made it official after a few months of dating.
‘It’s early days but it’s going really well,’ he says perkily, then adds, ‘actually, I can see me and Pete adopting children together, I think we’d make great parents.’
Pete,37, dances with his partner Jowita Przystal in a leopard print costume on Strictly Come Dancing last year
‘Nah, that ain’t happening,’ insists Wicks. ‘If I did have a child, Sam would want one of his own immediately so that they could go to school together.’
‘You know me so well,’ says Thompson.
In person, Wicks is unlike his ‘love rat’ tabloid persona.
He is poised and stylish in a brown suede jacket. Considered and thoughtful, he rubs his chin or examines his hands while answering a question.
He can be funny, too – for example, retelling his bafflement at often being mistaken for keep-fit star Joe Wicks by Piers Morgan.
‘I actually feel sorry for the geezer,’ he says. ‘I mean, I look like Joe Wicks [if he’d spent] a decade living on the streets.’
By contrast, Thompson is slumped in a chair dressed in a hoodie, head flicking between whoever is talking, like a guy watching a tennis match.
He tells a funny story about his dash to Buckingham Palace to meet the King in June this year (Thompson works for the King’s Trust, a charity supporting young people into work). He was late because Wicks had been helping him choose a suit and doing up his tie. He then forgot his invitation and was further delayed persuading Palace security to let him in. When he finally reached the royal meet and greet it was already in progress. Thompson’s opening gambit to the King was ‘All right, mate.’ He then attempted to retrieve the situation with, ‘sir’ followed by, ‘God, you’re not even a sir… mate, sir, Your Majesty.’
Sam, 33, with his fellow Made In Chelsea star and sister Louise, her fiancé Ryan Libbey and their son Leo
‘He was very nice about it, but the palace staff behind him didn’t look very happy,’ says Thompson. ‘I have to say, very soft hands our King has.’
Thompson’s scatterbrained enthusiasm and fizzy energy are not an act. In 2023, he was diagnosed with ADHD and, later, autism. He reported movingly about the first part of his discovery in an E4 documentary Sam Thompson: Is This ADHD? ‘Why am I such a f**king loser?’ he recalls asking himself after failing all his exams at Bradfield College, a private school in Berkshire.
‘I felt so guilty about failing at school,’ he says. ‘I even sat my dad down to apologise for all the sacrifices he’d made to send me there. I understand who I am way better now, though, which helps.’
You can see why he was drawn to Wicks. ‘I’ve always been attracted to calm, strong older male friends. I need a big-brother character who balances me,’ he says.
And Wicks, who usually prefers dogs to humans, is the perfect foil. Despite his slightly unorthodox therapeutic language (‘Everyone who f**king knows you f**king loves you, mate,’ he tells his friend), he is incredibly protective of Thompson.
After Thompson’s I’m A Celebrity… victory in 2023, eyebrows were raised because instead of a wife, husband or lover waiting to greet him at the end of the famous rope bridge, it was Wicks. It was another turning point in their relationship.
‘After I won, Pete said to me, “You smashed it, mate, you deserve everything that comes from this. Go for it, and don’t worry about me,”‘ he says. ‘I didn’t like that because I don’t want to do anything without him. I want him to share everything I do for the rest of my life.’
Pete wears a shirt and suit from Reiss with Asos loafers, while Sam wears an Asos suit, Reiss shirt and shoes from Bobbies
‘We’re not joined at the hip,’ insists Wicks. ‘People sometimes come up to me in the street full of concern and say, “Where’s Sam?” but we do lead separate lives. The way I see it: I’ve got Sam on weekdays; his girlfriend or Leo (Thompson’s nephew, Louise’s four-year-old son) have him on weekends.’
While Wicks lives alone in Stratford, east London, Thompson is still in the house he renovated with Zara. ‘I live next door to my sister, and she is one of my best mates,’ he says. ‘She’s been through a lot recently [Louise suffered post-traumatic stress following the birth of Leo in 2021, when she nearly died of blood loss during labour, and is now a noted campaigner for women’s health]. One of the best moments for me this year was Louise telling me I have become like her big brother. She has always been there for me, and it feels good that finally I’m able to be the support she needs. I’ve focused more on family this year and become a proper uncle.
‘Before, due to working too much, I was missing out on that relationship and feeling guilty about it. Now I pick up Leo from school and he recognises me and runs towards me. As far as I’m concerned, there is no better feeling than that or being with Louise, Ryan [Libbey, Louise’s fiancé] and Leo at home. And if we can get Pete involved, even better.’
But Wicks is a tough nut to crack. Whenever he travels west to mix with Thompson’s Made In Chelsea pals, he insists on calling them Tarquin (‘I don’t even have any friends called that,’ says Thompson), though he is much loved among Thompson’s family. ‘My mum fancies him,’ says Thompson. ‘He’s even been out drinking with my dad without me.’
Sam wears an Octobre jumper with trousers from Mango and Bobbies shoes, while Pete wears a UniQlo t-shirt under a Mango cardigan with M&S trousers and Bobbies shoes
Nevertheless, Wicks won’t be joining his best friend and his family for Christmas. Why? ‘I don’t like Christmas,’ he says. ‘One of my dogs died of meningitis recently, so I’ve only got one left. We’ll go away alone, I reckon. Basically, I’m going to be like a hibernating bear.’
Will they at least buy each other presents? ‘My gift to Sam is another year of my company,’ says Wicks with a sly grin.
‘I accept that gratefully,’ says Thompson. ‘Let’s face it, there are millions of guys like me, but there are few like Pete Wicks. That’s the best present ever.’
Staying Relevant: The Book by Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks is published by Little, Brown, £22. To order a copy for £18.70 until 4 January, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25.
QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS
Breakfast order?
Sam: Poached eggs on sourdough with a rasher of bacon on top served by a butler.
Pete: I have porridge every day.
Last photo you sent?
Sam: One of myself in socks and shoes from the YOU photo shoot to my girlfriend.
Pete: A picture of a dog, to my PR.
What’s on your bedside table?
Sam: An eye mask.
Pete: A picture of my nan.
Best advice you’ve been given?
Sam: Mine dates from doing the Unicef challenge [Thompson ran and cycled 260 miles in June this year]: just believe in yourself, you can do it.
Pete: Stop being a human doing and be a human being.
Favourite Christmas movie?
Sam: The Harry Potter marathon that Sky broadcasts at Christmas.
Pete: American Gangster. Not strictly a Christmas movie but that’s when I watch it.
Sprouts for Christmas lunch?
Both: Definitely.
Worst Christmas gift?
Sam: A mug with a bottle of Lynx Africa poking out of it. It was from my grandmother, bless her.
Pete: I used to get a bottle of Joop! aftershave every year for about ten years from my nan. A lovely thought but the smell of it traumatises me now.
Picture director: Ester Malloy.
Styling: Jodie Nellist.
Grooming: Marcos Gurgel using Dyson pro hair and Charlotte Tilbury.
