Olivia Attwood is in a ‘secret romance’ with Pete Wicks, a source close to the pair has revealed in the wake of their steamy kiss.
The 34-year-old presenter and 37-year-old podcaster Pete were pictured puckering up in a London restaurant over the weekend, making it clear that they’ve taken their friendship to the next level.
This comes only two months after Olivia’s split from footballer husband Bradley Dack, whom she’d known for a decade.
The couple, who rekindled a past romance after Olivia’s appearance on Love Island in 2017, tied the knot in 2023.
But, in the wake of ‘a really bad summer,’ Olivia and Bradley’s marriage fell apart – with sources citing ‘a breach of trust’ on his part as the news broke.
Since then, Olivia has taken comfort in her close friendship with The Only Way is Essex co-star Pete… which has evidently progressed to something more.
With Pete and Olivia’s romance now public, a source told Closer Magazine that Olivia has ‘always been drawn to Pete’ and ‘carried a torch for him.’
Of their hidden relationship, the publication’s insider added: ‘The secrecy has made it exciting, and they’ve spent a lot of time together – they love nights in watching movies together.’
Noting that Olivia and Pete ‘can’t keep their hands off each other,’ they went on to shed some light on their relationship’s dynamic.
‘Olivia is quite dramatic and intense, whereas Pete is very laid back, but somehow it works.’
According to The Sun, Pete and Olivia struck up their romance at the Brit Awards in February, where they later stayed at the same hotel together.
Another source clarified: ‘Their passionate romance only started in the last few weeks, since she has split from Bradley; there was no overlap.’
The Sun’s insider described Pete as ‘a shoulder to cry on’ for Olivia during what was ‘a really horrible breakup’ from Bradley.
They added: ‘They have got closer and Pete has held a torch for Olivia for a really long time. She is hurting and vulnerable, and he was in the right place at the right time.
‘They get on really well and are taking it slow; there is no label at the moment.’
As for Bradley, he is reportedly ’embarrassed’ by news of Olivia and Pete’s secret romance.
According to The Sun, he had been ‘hopeful’ that they might reconcile their differences.
A source said: ‘Bradley is livid, he’s not surprised at all but is completely embarrassed and upset. He can’t believe Olivia has moved on so publicly and they’ve not even signed the divorce papers.
‘Bradley was hopeful for a reunion with Olivia but after this, he’s just livid and will take her to the cleaners.’
According to the tabloid, he’d ‘suspected things for the last year,’ but she had always denied there being anything romantic between her and Pete.
Pete and Olivia first met when on Towie in 2017 and have been close friends ever since, even hosting a radio show together on, uh, KISS FM.
Signs of their feelings for each other were visible from September last year, when Olivia and Pete were pictured looking cosy together on holiday in Ibiza.
Snaps from the time showed her lying in his arms as they sunbathed on the deck of a luxury yacht.
The pair maintained that they were only ‘friends’ at the time, with Pete saying how he ‘felt sick’ at the thought of people misconstruing what had been an innocent cuddle between pals.
After the pictures were published, and with Olivia reportedly in ‘the doghouse’ with Bradley, she opened up about the tension in her marriage.
Speaking on her podcast at the time, she said: ‘I think that there was stuff going on on both sides…. At the end of day, marriage is really f***ing hard.’
A month later, The Sun revealed that Olivia and Bradley had parted ways, which had ‘never been an option until now’.
‘Olivia is heartbroken,’ said a source, with both of their families ‘so intertwined’ after a long relationship.
She first met the midfielder in 2015 through mutual friends while on a night out.
The pair dated on and off for a year, but things fizzled out, with Olivia heading to the Love Island villa in an act of revenge against her ‘cheating ‘ex.’
There she finished in third place with Chris Hughes, losing out to Strictly’s Amber Davies and radio presenter Kem Cetinay.
After splitting from Chris in March 2018, she and Bradley rekindled their romance and were married five years later.
However, it wasn’t long before fans spotted signs of a strain in their marriage, with many questioning those Ibiza pics and Bradley’s absence from her Instagram grid.
Olivia said at the time: ‘He’s alive, I swear. 10 years of us. A lot has changed. Marriage is frikinnn hard (no one wants to say that part out loud), and I’m just not a faker.
‘I’m not posting pictures if they don’t reflect our reality. We are doing our thing, and if there are any more updates, you will be the first to know.’
Prior to romancing Olivia, Pete dated Towie castmates Jess Wright and Verity Chapman.
Both were short-lived dalliances, with Pete and Jess’s relationship hitting the rocks after she drunkenly kissed castmate Lewis Bloor.
Pete’s most high-profile relationship was with Megan McKenna, whom he dated for a year and a half in 2016 before breaking up amid accusations that he’d been ‘sexting’ an ex.
He was also linked to Strictly Come Dancing professional Jowita Przystal following his 2024 stint on the competition – shocking fans by sharing a passionate kiss with the dancer during a live appearance at the O2 Arena.
Other brief romances of Pete’s include his being linked to EastEnders star Danielle Harold and former Love Island star Maura Higgins.
Last month, Olivia accused Maura of ‘copying’ her career, even allegedly describing her as a ‘stalker’ to friends.
This came after Maura shared shared an Instagram photo with Parisian fashion influencer Michael Coste, only days after Olivia had done the same.
A source told The Sun: ‘Olivia is obviously going through a lot at the moment and trying to piece her life back together, but she has been left bemused that Maura has continued to mirror her playbook. She even jokes with her friends that Maura is her stalker.
‘There is no love lost between them and they have become very skilled at ignoring each other on the red carpet and at parties. Olivia is just amazed that these things keep happening, although she knows that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.’
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