Strictly’s Pete Wicks reveals he saved his mum Tracy’s life at just age 12 after traumatic suicide attempt

Pete Wicks has revealed he saved his mum Tracy’s life when he was just 12-years-old after he found her in the kitchen after an attempted suicide. 

The TOWIE star, 36, who made his Strictly debut on Saturday night, opened up about the early traumatic experience in his new memoir Never Enough: My words unfiltered. 

He explained he came down into the kitchen to find Tracy sitting at the table covered with blood while holding a knife in one hand. 

Pete recalled how he was terrified and immediately called his nan Doreen for help before also dialling 999. 

As he waited for the ambulance, the star tried to stem the flow of blood and keep his mum alive as he recalled: ‘I just went into crisis mode’. 

The TOWIE star, 36, who made his Strictly debut on Saturday night, opened up about the early traumatic experience in his new memoir Never Enough: My words unfiltered (pictured with his Strictly partner Jowita Przystal) 

He wrote: ‘I saw her sitting at the table, which had been covered in blood. I saw the blood dripping first. She was holding a knife in her other hand. 

‘Immediately, I ran over to her to take the knife from her hand. Before that, she had seemed almost possessed – it was like my mum had gone and someone (or something) else had taken over her body.’

‘But when I came over to her, it’s like she woke up. She looked up at me with eyes full of tears. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” she kept repeating. 

‘I told her it was okay as I panicked trying to work out what to do. I called Nan. I could barely get the words out to describe what had happened. I think I basically just said, ‘Mum… knife… blood.’

Pete’s nan, who passed away in June 2022, instructed him to hang up and call an ambulance, as he continued in the book: ‘I took her instructions, calling the ambulance, and then I got to work trying to look after Mum, who by that point was sitting on the floor and bleeding very badly. 

‘I grabbed towels to try to stop the bleeding. I poured the wine down the sink. It’s hard to pinpoint how I felt in that moment, because I think it was just pure shock. I didn’t cry – I just went into crisis mode.’

Recalling how the aftermath of the trauma had a huge effect on his life, he explained he became incredibly protective of Tracy, who raised him as a single mum after she split from Pete’s dad when Pete was 11. 

He wrote: ‘I didn’t say it, but I believed it was my fault. I had been with Mum before it happened. I had agreed to go upstairs. I had stayed upstairs even though I could hear her wailing. If it was anyone’s fault, it was mine. 

‘Looking back, I know that my responsibility was probably overwhelming in that moment. I was the child, and I needed to be looked after. 

‘Instead, I had to look after my parent and suppress all the fear, panic, loneliness and self-blame that was beginning to grow inside me.’

Fortunately Tracy made a fast recovery, and apologised to her son, describing it as a ‘moment of madness’ that would never happen again.