The line between healthy and toxic emotional connection has become increasingly blurred when it comes to celebrities – and Pete Wicks’ comments on receiving death threats has only highlighted that something has to change.
If you're a celebrity in 2025, it's a safe bet to assume that you're no stranger to online hate. From mean jibes to derogatory comments, there’s a never-ending slew of ways in which world shares their thoughts and opinions on those both in and out of the public eye. And arguably, the most insidious of all comes in the form of death threats.
Appearing on Paul C. Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast, TOWIE star Pete opened up about how he was left feeling like ‘public enemy number one’ after his cheating scandal left him the recipient of multiple death threats.
First rising to fame as The Only Way Is Essex’s bad boy, Pete found himself in a tumultuous romance with Megan McKenna – who recently welcomed her first baby with her footballer fiancé Oliver Burke.
However, the couple ended their year-long relationship back in 2017 after it was revealed that Pete had been unfaithful. In scenes that unfolded onscreen, Megan was seen screaming to Pete to ‘go be single’ after it emerged he had been sexting his ex.
Now, the Strictly star – who is said to be dating Love Island’s Maura Higgins – has opened up about the onslaught of hate he received.
‘It’s really hard when I look back on it to think about how bad it was, because at the time, you’re so caught up in it. I was going through a breakup with Megan that everyone kind of knew the ins and outs of, it was laid out bare. I was getting death threats daily. Fully death threats,' he said.
‘I had people spit at me in the streets, I had people send me videos of dolls they made hanging from trees that they were burning, like burning effigies. I felt like I was a national hate figure, like public enemy number one. I felt so guilty. With that on top, I was just all over the shop.’
Indeed, parasocial relationships – in which fans have a one-sided attachment to someone in the public eye – have grown darker. With unprecedented access to the everyday lives of the rich and famous through social media and reality TV, viewers can find themselves deeply embedded into the lives of those they see onscreen, to the point that their idol's highs and lows begin to affect them too.
Pete is far from the first celebrity to have experienced harassment online. Several famous faces have opened up about receiving death threats – with Love Island’s Sharon Gaffkaopening up about her experience when leaving the show, with former Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott also revealing to Grazia the harassment she experienced ‘every day.’
Reflecting on the onslaught of hate, Pete explained, ‘The annoying thing is people say that if you’re in the public eye, you put yourself in for this sort of stuff – and completely, you put yourself in a position where you allow people to make judgements and have opinion. '
Revealing that he even received death threats while appearing on the most recent series of Strictly Come Dancing – a seemingly harmless show where celebs dance their way to the Glitterball trophy – Pete said, ‘I was getting death threats for still being in the competition because there were better dancers. It does get to the point where, yeah, of course you put yourself in the position for people to pass judgement, but I don’t think anyone really deserves death threats. It does get a bit f*cking silly.’
In 2025, death threats are seemingly a go-to response for anyone with a keyboard, two thumbs, and internet access. Footballer put on a poor performance? Unimpressed with a singer's new song? Can’t bear to see your favourite celeb strike up a relationship with another starlet? Death threats are often people’s weapon of choice.
And while actions can’t always be condoned – in fact, Pete himself admits that cheating was ‘f*cking horrible’ – threats against one’s life are always a step too far.
‘Don’t get me wrong, I was in the wrong and I always held my hands up about that,’ Pete explained on the podcast. ‘But it’s something that was between Megan and I, and obviously we were on a show so it became about Megan, I and the UK.’
‘People go through breakups and people cheat. It’s f*cking horrible and there’s no right or wrong for it. But the attention that that got, the me and Megan thing, and I what it brought with it [was] just dumfounding. I didn't know what to do.'
Although death threats are a sad part of everyday life for many online, it shouldn't be a norm. According to the Metropolitan Police, anyone sending 'threatening, abusive or offensive messages via any social networking site could be committing an offence' if there are 'two or more related occurrences.' If possible, screenshot the message and don't reply.
And don't forget - social media sites often have processes in place. If you or someone you know receives threats online, report the account to the social media network. They may be able to remove the content, or even shut down the account.