Chloe Sims has opened up about her decision to remove any traces of ex Pete Wicks, 33, from her social media accounts.
The TOWIE star unfollowed her co-star and former BFF earlier this year, and removed pictures of him from her Instagram grid.
Chloe, 40, has since revealed the social media cleanse wasn't due to a bitter falling out, but out of respect for potential future partners.
"I’ve had Pete muted for a long time and I just didn’t want to have him on there any more," the reality TV star has explained to new! magazine.
The two stars have had a tumultuous relationship over the last few years, and in 2020, Pete admitted he had been sleeping with Chloe for two years, but their romance ended when they had a bitter falling out.
He told The Sun previously there were 'blurred lines' throughout their courtship and added: "We haven't been officially seeing each other but there's definitely been times it's been more than just a friendship."
In an episode of TOWIE that aired in November, Pete even revealed a tattoo of Chloe's name on his hand, telling her: "You are irreplaceable to me, so I might have got like a tattoo on my hand."
"The point of that is, you do mean everything to me and for anyone else who feels like I don't or for anyone you feel like I've not justified this to, I do love you to bits."
Things reportedly came to an end when Pete failed to commit to mum-of-one Chloe, who shares her 16-year-old daughter with a former partner, but the pair managed to patch things up and remain friends.
Speaking in her latest interview, Chloe refused to give anything away about her current relationship status, but opened up about how hard it can be to date as a single parent.
"I haven’t had that many serious relationships. When Mady was little you could get away with it as you could just say people were a friend," the Essex native explained.
"I tend to keep her out of my private life. If I was in a serious relationship, I don’t think I would rush that, as she is used to having me all to herself."
She added: "I would have to tread carefully and it would be a gentle process."
Talking on Instagram in the past, Chloe has admitted she has 'no regrets' about her secret romance with co-star Pete.
"No I don't because although it ended in tears on the show, we had so many good times," she told a follower during an Instagram Q&A.
"Unfortunately you guys just didn't see them. We always sort it out in the end & we love each other x."
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