Former Love Island star Zara McDermott has broken her silence after it was confirmed that her pal Pete Wicks will be competing in Strictly Come Dancing this year

Zara McDermott has spoken out following the announcement that Pete Wicks has signed up for Strictly Come Dancing.

On Wednesday (August 7), it was confirmed that the former TOWIE legend would be taking to the famous BBC dancefloor.

The podcast host joined Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely on KISS FM as he shared his excitement ahead of the upcoming series.

Speaking about his decision, he admitted: “Dancing live in front of the nation every Saturday? Absolutely terrifying.

But anyone who knows me knows I love a challenge and trying new things, so I’m genuinely looking forward to getting stuck in.”

After the news hit the headlines, the former Love Island star took to her Instagram to share her excitement for his involvement in the dance competition.

The former Strictly star shared a reel of the 36-year-old shared a reel of Pete’s announcement online.

She admitted that she had “never been so excited” to see the star slip into Spandex and sequins for the show and captioned the post “love you”.

Meanwhile, her boyfriend Sam Thompson penned: “No words. So proud of you… the content we are going to make that you don’t even know about yet.”

It comes after Zara found herself in the middle of the ongoing bullying drama after she opened up about her pro dancer Graziano Di Prima’s behaviour backstage.

The star confirmed he had “hit” the documentary maker in the rehearsal studios while training for the show.

Taking to Instagram, he shared an emotional statement online. It read: “I deeply regret the events that led to my departure from Strictly.

“My intense passion and determination to win might have affected my training regime. Respecting the BBC HR process, I understand it’s best for the show that I step away.

“While there are aspects of this story involving external influences that I can’t discuss at this time, I remain committed to being strong for my family and friends.” Zara commented on the incident one week later where she shared her fears over speaking out.

In a lengthy statement, she confessed: “My experience inside the training room was very different. Reports have been made about my treatment on the show and there were witnesses to some events, as well as videos of particular incidents which are incredibly distressing to watch.

“I have wrestled with the fear of opening up – I was scared about public backlash, I was scared about my future, I was scared of victim shaming.

But after a lot of conversations with those I love, I’ve gained the strength to face these fears, and when I was asked to speak to the BBC, I spoke candidly about my time on the show.”

Fans will have to stay tuned to see how the reality star will fare on the dance competition this autumn. He will be sharing the stage with 80s pop legend Toyah Wilcox, comedian Chris McCausland, JLS singer JB Gill and Go Compare opera singer Wynne Evans.