Pete Wicks has issued a plea to fans to 'please stop' asking him about the whereabouts of his French bulldog Eric, as he confirmed the dog has died. The reality TV star and podcast host, known for his love of animals, has revealed he has lost both of his beloved dogs, Eric and Peggy, in the past year.
Emotional Instagram message
Posting to his Instagram Story, Pete wrote: "In the past year I have lost both of my dogs Eric and Peggy. They were 10 and 13. I haven’t wanted to talk about it – they got me through the past decade, and a piece of me has gone with them."
He continued: "So to those who feel like they need an explanation of where Eric is, please stop. He was my soul dog. He was my best friend. I shouldn’t have to explain my pain."
Recent loss and new addition
Before Christmas last year, Pete opened up about not being a fan of the festive season and not being too fussed about the recent celebrations because of the death of his French bulldog, Peggy. He later mentioned the loss for the first time on social media as he revealed he had adopted a new four-legged friend, Rodney, from the Dogs' Trust, for whom he is an ambassador and volunteers at the Basildon branch for his U&W show Pete Wicks: For Dogs' Sake.
In recent weeks and months, as he also takes on his girlfriend Olivia Attwood's two rescue dogs, Stitch and Lola, fans have questioned Pete about Eric, who he rescued in 2016.
Previous accident revealed
Following the loss of Peggy, Pete revealed how he didn't 'leave the house' for a week over the Christmas period after suffering a fall which knocked him unconscious. The TV star and presenter opened up about the accident to best pal Sam Thompson on their podcast, Staying Relevant, during which he admitted to ending up with burned eyelids.
After previously sharing his plans to spend the festive season alone following the death of Peggy, Pete told Sam that he went to visit his mum, Tracey, and spent some time playing "card games" with her, before heading home, which is when he "started drinking a lot". He shared: "I had a couple of bottles of red wine. Then I had a couple of Guinness. And then, I thought, well it’s Christmas. So I had a bit of Tequila. It was nice. And a lovely bottle of rum. I really just went for it."
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Pete told how he sat down to watch TV before the incident occurred when he got up to "refill his drink". He explained: "I got up to refill my drink. And as I done that – I’ve got wooden floor. I was quite drunk and I didn’t see Eric. So, I fell over Eric. I had a fall."
