Pete Wicks breaks his silence on TOWIE departure rumours and reveals future plans

Pete Wicks has confirmed his future on The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE), following reports earlier this week that he had decided to leave the show after eight years on it.

The reality TV star, 34, joined the ITVBe show in its fifteenth series, which aired in 2015. He's been part of its main cast since and is said to have been in more than 180 episodes.

He has however now announced that he will be stepping back from being a regular cast member, though has teased that he may still appear on the show "every now and then".

The news was shared by Pete this afternoon. He posted a lengthy statement on Instagram, in which he thanked fans for supporting him during his time on the ITV reality show.

Pete Wicks has announced that he's stepping back from being a 'regular cast member' on TOWIE (p_wicks01/Instagram)

He shared the news with fans on social media earlier (Instagram)

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Pete wrote on his Instagram Story earlier: "Just wanted to let you all know that the time has come for me to take a step back from TOWIE as a regular cast member.

"The show has been a massive part of my life for such a long time, and has opened so many doors for me in my career".

He continued in his statement: "As my diary continues to fill up with other work commitments, it only makes sense for me to step back from filming TOWIE full-time."

Pete has been on the show since 2015 (Vianney Le Caer/REX/Shutterstock)

Pete thanked those behind the show, writing: "I want to say thank you to everyone at Lime [Pictures] and ITV who have worked with me on the show over the past eight years."

"Through the ups and downs, and everything in between, one thing remains the same ... TOWIE and the people connected to the show are all family," he added.

He further commented about the decision: "As much as I am excited to move into a new chapter in my life, I will sincerely miss filming every day with the cast and crew!"

He thanked fans for their support over the years in his statement about stepping back (Instagram)

He continued by writing: "Lastly, I just want to say thank you to the fans of the show for your support and putting up with having to see my face on your screens every week!"

Teasing about the future, he concluded: "Don't stress though, you may still see me pop-up every now and then, I will always be part of the TOWIE (highly dysfunctional) family."

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