Pete Wicks and Jowita Pryzstal continued to fuel romance rumours as they were spotted looking close in London on Thursday. 

The former TOWIE star, 36, has kept fans guessing over his love life in recent weeks, having been both linked to his Strictly partner, 30, and Maura Higgins, 34. 

Pete left Maura a flirty comment on her Instagram page over the weekend as she endured a tough Bushtucker Trial on I’m A Celebrity. 

But as Pete and Jowita left an office, the pair put on a tactile display with the television personality resting a protective hand on the dancer’s shoulder as they crossed the road. 

Pete, who rocked a black beanie and carried a Louis Vuitton holdall, looked somewhat downcast as he puffed on a cigarette, while Jowita gazed at her phone. 

Earlier this week, the reality star revealed he has been on the receiving end of nasty death threats during his time on Strictly.

Pete Wicks and Jowita Pryzstal continued to fuel romance rumours as they were spotted looking close in London on Thursday

The former TOWIE star, 36, has kept fans guessing over his love life in recent weeks, having been both linked to his Strictly partner, 30, and Maura Higgins, 34

The two have sparked romance rumours in recent weeks after fans noticed their sizzling on screen chemistry

He told Jowita on his Staying Relevant podcast that he had been the subject of trolling and even death threats, confessing: ‘Since Strictly, there have been some real crackers.

‘Someone actually wished death upon me on the dance floor the other day.’

Strictly fans were shocked by Sunday’s dance off as they questioned why Pete and Jowita weren’t in the bottom two, with even the duo looking shocked as they sailed through to the quarter finals for Musicals week.

The TOWIE star and his partner finished bottom of the leaderboard on Saturday night, but made it through on the public vote.

Instead Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas and Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe faced off in the dance off, with Jamie ultimately being sent home by the judges.

The results of Sunday’s show saw fans criticise the judges’ decisions to ‘constantly down-mark’ the actor.

Their closeness was also noticed by fans, with Jowita clinging onto Pete’s arm after they were saved by the public.

But then Pete commented on Maura’s post of her eating trial: ‘What a woman’. 

Over the weekend, Pete wrote a smitten comment under Maura Higgins’ Instagram post as she made her I’m A Celebrity arrival, sparking further speculation the two are dating

However, Pete chose not to hold back after watching a clip of her doing an eating challenge in the latest Bushtucker Trial, as he took to the comments to write: ‘WHAT A WOMAN’

As Pete and Jowita left an office, the television personality rested a protective hand on the dancer’s shoulder as they crossed the road

Pete, who rocked a black beanie and carried a Louis Vuitton holdall, looked somewhat downcast as he puffed on a cigarette

Earlier this week, the reality star revealed he has been on the receiving end of nasty death threats during his time on Strictly 

Jowita and Maura have been competing on Strictly together since September, and in recent weeks, sources have claimed they have been secretly seeing each other

‘The chemistry between them has been pretty clear since the moment they met but the last few weeks something has changed’, sources said

Strictly fans were shocked by Sunday’s dance off as they questioned why Pete and Jowita weren’t in the bottom two, with even the duo looking shocked as they sailed through

Pete, who has made it through to the quarter finals for Musicals Week, took time out as he smoked his cigarette and looked at his phone

Jowita cut a stylish figure in a shearling leather jacket, flared jeans and carried a Marc Jacobs tote bag 

Read More Strictly’s Pete Wicks cosies up to dance partner Jowita Pryzstal as he takes her to meet puppies

The clip was posted to Instagram by Maura’s friends and family, who are running her account while she’s Down Under.

They edited in the viral video of Maura in Love Island, where she overhears Tom Walker, who she was coupled up with at the time on the show, making a suggestive comment before they went into the hideaway.

The funny clip saw Tom quip: ‘It will be interesting to see whether she’s all mouth or not,’ followed by Maura getting stuck into the eating challenge and joking: ‘I don’t think I can swallow it. First time I’ve said that.’

Maura insisted she was still single as she prepared to make her I’m A Celebrity debut after they were pictured kissing on several occasions. 

When asked if she is in a relationship with Pete, Maura said: ‘I’m not. I’ve been on dates with many people. I mean, I date, but I’m very much single. Everyone goes on dates.’ 

Their closeness was also noticed by fans, with Jowita clinging onto Pete’s arm after they were saved by the public 

Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas were sent home by the judges, with Pete facing some backlash as he was bottom of the leaderboard

She added: ‘It is quite scary going in later. They have all met and got to know each other. 

‘It’s never easy being the newbie, but I am not a shy person, so I feel like I will be fine. It will be nice to bring some energy to the camp. 

‘I am single at the moment, but honestly no-one is going to fancy me in the jungle. Trust me!’

Jowita and Maura have been competing on Strictly together since September, and in recent weeks, sources have claimed they have been secretly seeing each other away from the show and have been spotted looking cosy on car rides together.   

‘The chemistry between them has been pretty clear since the moment they met but the last few weeks something has changed and they’ve started seeing each other away from the show,’ a source told The Sun.

‘They’ve tried to keep it low-key but they often travel together rather than getting separate cars to different locations.

‘And they’re so tactile backstage it has become pretty obvious something is going on. Everyone is talking about the fact they seem closer than ever.’