Pete Wicks has revealed he saved his mother Tracy’s life when he was just 12 years old after he found her in the kitchen following a suicide attempt.
The 36-year-old TOWIE star, who made his Strictly debut on Saturday night, spoke candidly about the traumatic experience in his new memoir Never Enough: My words unfiltered.
Pete called his mother “the strongest woman I know, she’s my hero,” explaining that he walked downstairs and saw Tracy sitting at the table covered in blood, holding a knife in one hand.
Pete remembers how terrified he was and how he immediately called his grandmother Doreen for help, before calling 911.
While waiting for the ambulance, the star tried to stop the blood flow and keep his mother alive, saying: ‘I just went into crisis mode’.
Strictly’s Pete Wicks has revealed he saved his mother Tracy’s life when she was just 12 years old after a traumatic suicide attempt
The 36-year-old TOWIE star, who made his Strictly debut on Saturday night, spoke candidly about the traumatic experience in his new memoir Never Enough: My words unfiltered (pictured with his Strictly partner Jowita Przystal)
He wrote: ‘I saw her sitting at the table, which was covered in blood. I saw the blood dripping off it first. She was holding a knife in her other hand.
‘I immediately ran to her to grab the knife from her hand. Before that, she seemed almost possessed – it was as if my mother had disappeared and someone (or something) else had taken over her body.’
“But when I came to her, it was like she woke up. She looked at me with eyes full of tears. ‘I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,’ she kept repeating.
‘I told her it was okay, while I was panicking and trying to figure out what to do. I called Nan. I could barely find the words to describe what had happened. I think all I said was, ‘Mom… knife… blood.’
Pete’s grandmother, who died in June 2022, instructed him to hang up and call an ambulance, as he continued in the book: ‘I followed her instructions, called the ambulance and went to work to care for my mother, who was sitting on the floor at the time and bleeding heavily.
“I grabbed towels to stop the bleeding. I poured the wine down the sink. It’s hard to say how I felt at that moment because I think it was just pure shock. I didn’t cry – I just went into crisis mode.”
Pete wrote his new book to debunk the open discussion of mental health, and he shares how the aftermath of the trauma had a huge impact on his life.
He explained that he became incredibly protective of Tracy, who raised him as a single mother after she divorced Pete’s father when Pete was 11.
He wrote: ‘I didn’t say it, but I believed it was my fault. I was with Mom before it happened. I had agreed to go upstairs. I had stayed upstairs even though I heard her crying. If it was anyone’s fault, it was mine.
He explained that he came downstairs to the kitchen and saw Tracy sitting at the table covered in blood, holding a knife in one hand. Pete remembered how terrified he was and immediately called his grandmother Doreen for help before dialing 999 himself.
He spoke about how the aftermath of the trauma had had a huge impact on his life and explained that he became incredibly protective of Tracy (Pete pictured as a child)
‘Looking back, I know my responsibility at that time was probably overwhelming. I was the child and I had to be looked after’ (pictured with friends Vicky Pattison, Ferne McCan and their mothers Caroll and Gill)
‘Looking back, I know my responsibility at that moment was probably overwhelming. I was the child and I had to be taken care of.
‘Instead, I had to take care of my parents and suppress all the fear, panic, loneliness and self-reproach that was beginning to grow inside me.’
Fortunately, Tracy recovered quickly and apologized to her son, describing it as a ‘moment of madness’ that would never happen again.
Pete made his Strictly debut on Saturday and joked that his mother laughed at him when he told her he was joining the BBC show.
Pete Wicks takes to the dance floor with Jowita Przystał.
The couple raised eyebrows this week when he was spotted get really cozy with Jowita at the National Television Awards on Wednesday night.
Pete’s involvement in the BBC show shocked viewers given his close friendship with Zara McDermott, who was physically and verbally abused by her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima on the series last year.
However, Pete insisted that it didn’t stop Zara from supporting him, telling MailOnline: ‘Zara loves the show and she’s a massive supporter, so she’ll probably be my biggest fan.’
Fortunately, Tracy recovered quickly and apologized to her son, describing it as a “moment of madness” that would never happen again.
Pete made his Strictly debut at the launch on Saturday and joked that when he told his mum he was joining the BBC show, she laughed in his face
Happy with his partner Jowita, Pete enthused: ‘Oh, 100%! The little pocket rocket? I have this one in the bag now, I changed my mind – I’m going to win it’
When it was suggested that Zara could teach him some dance moves, he joked: ‘My partner is going to teach me everything, so I can’t wait to get started.’
And Pete was certainly keen to embrace the full Strictly experience, as he said of the glittering costumes: ‘I’m going for a penny, for a pound. I’m never going to be here again, am I?’
When asked if it was worth working with the beautiful Jowita, Pete said enthusiastically: ‘Oh, 100%! The little pocket rocket? I’ve got it in the bag now, I’ve changed my mind – I’m going to win it.’
Although he was certain of his dance partner, the TV star still seemed a little confused about his upcoming dance after Jowita revealed that they would be dancing a Paso Doble to Breathe by The Prodigy.
With a bewildered look on his face, the long-haired womanizer asked, “What’s a Paso Doble?”
