Pete Wicks was left blown away after arriving at 10 Downing Street to sit down with Keir Starmer, for perhaps the most candid admission from the Prime Minister
12:00, 07 Feb 2026Updated 13:29, 07 Feb 2026
Pete Wicks has opened up about sitting down with Keir Starmer(Image: Marco Vittur)
Pete Wicks revealed he’s “pleased” after engaging in an “important” conversation with Keir Starmer. The businessman who found fame on ITV’s The Only Way Is Essex is now a far cry from how viewers saw him on TV ten years ago.
Nowadays, the 37-year-old from Harlow, Essex, has removed himself from the drama and parties of reality TV. Instead, he can now be found rubbing shoulders with the Prime Minister and selling out London’s O2 Arena with his best pal, Sam Thompson, with their Staying Relevant podcast.
But last year, Pete headed to 10 Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister for an episode of his own podcast, Man Made. In perhaps Keir’s most honest conversation, he opened up about the death of his ‘wonderful’ brother, Nick, who died on Boxing Day 2024, explaining how he’d been at his side when he was diagnosed with cancer.
Pete revealed that he and the PM sitting down together was ‘incredible’
Speaking of the interview, which was recorded as part of Men’s Mental Health Month, Pete told the Mirror: “It was an incredible experience. We were in 10 Downing Street, I never thought I’d be there.
“It was incredible, the whole point of Man Made and the whole point of speaking to Keir was nothing to do with my opinions on politics or anything else, whether you like the man or you don’t like the man, he’s still a man and he’s a man that’s in power. Having those sorts of conversations are important.
“I think a lot of the time, we kind of judge a book by it’s cover too soon, we’re all guilty of it, I’m guilty of it. Everyone has a story to tell, regardless, so it was an incredible experience to do it.” The animal rights campaigner went on to add: “I’m pleased that it got the response that it did, and I’m so pleased to have been able to do that with Man Made. We’ve had some incredible guests on series one.”
Pete has consistently used his platform to speak openly about mental health(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
For Pete, he couldn’t contain his excitement as he revealed that there would be a second series. “We’ve recorded a number of episodes for that,” he said, adding: “It’s a powerful thing, it’s a tough podcast, but I think it’s so important – I’m blessed to be able to do it.” Pete is no stranger to speaking out about mental health, having openly discussed suffering from low mood, loneliness and in his younger years, processing his emotions through anger.
Throughout Nick’s battle with the cruel disease, the PM secretly visited the hospital where his brother was being treated and vowed to support him quietly. While explaining this, Keir became tearful as he shared that staff in the intensive care unit would help him arrive and leave without anybody knowing.
Keir told Pete: “I was shutting the world out to this, I fiercely wouldn’t let anybody know that this was happening. I knew he was going to die, and I probably, in my heart of hearts, knew when I saw him just before Christmas that that might be the last time I saw him, but I hadn’t quite processed that. Then when he did die on Boxing Day, even though for 18 months I’d known that this was coming, it hit me like a bus. Just knocked me out.”
The star has teamed up with best friend Sam Thompson to help Brits tackle their holiday dilemmas(Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)
The PM explained that the most difficult part of his job comes when “something intensely personal” happens and there “isn’t the space” to deal with the matter. Pete and Sam have teamed up with TUI to help tackle holiday dilemmas. Research shows that money matters is the top pre-travel dilemma, while 60 per cent of people notice unexpected quirks in their travel buddy.
For Pete and Sam, it’s about finding balance, which turns out to be Pete giving in to Sam’s demands, including a skiing trip, which left the star lying flat on his face after accidentally ending up on a black slope. However, Sam revealed his dream location with Pete would be Cyprus, which is where they’re heading on holiday. He said: “I am a massive history fan, and I love archaeology, and I love classical antiquity, so there’s loads of ancient Greek temples and loads of stuff I can actually do on this trip.”
However, for Pete, his dream location would be Tokyo. “I’ve always wanted to go, I would absolutely love to go to Japan,” he gushed, adding: “I actually want to do north to south Japan on a motorbike. One day, I’ll get some time off and do it. I’m fascinated by Japan, so that’s my dream location, which I’ve always wanted to go to. That and Brazil.”
Speaking of Japan, he added: “It looks incredible, culturally, the food, everything. I would love to go and experience it.”
Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks have partnered with TUI to help Brits tackle their holiday dilemmas. Tune into Staying Relevant to find out more.
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