Pete Wicks looks stylish in biker leather jacket as he arrives for first day of Strictly training with Jowita Przystal after confessing he blamed himself for his mum's suicide attempt

Pete Wicks looked stylish as he arrived fresh off his motorbike for the first day of Strictly training in North London on Monday. 

The TOWIE star, 36, looked in great spirits as he smiled in a faded biker leather jacket and Adidas black tracksuit bottoms.

Carrying his helmet and black leather hold all, the star completed his look with a P embossed baseball cap and some stylish glasses as he headed to join his Strictly partner Jowita Przystal. 

The professional dancer, 30, looked trendy in a checked shacket and black sports leggings.  

It comes after Pete recently opened up about his mum Tracy's attempted suicide when he was just aged 12, as he admitted he blamed himself for what happened. 

Opening up in his new memoir Never Enough: My words unfiltered, Pete referred to his mum as 'the strongest woman I know, she’s my hero,' as he explained how he came down into the kitchen to find Tracy sitting at the table covered with blood while holding a knife in one hand. 

After the traumatic experience 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.'

Pete, who wrote his new book to destigmatise talking openly about mental health, 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'. 

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 made his Strictly debut at the launch on Saturday as he joked that when he told his mum he was taking part in the BBC show she laughed in his face. 

He joked: 'So JB has a lovely supportive mum and my mum laughed in me face so that's what's made me as miserable as I am now.' 

Pete and Jowita raised eyebrows this week when he was spotted getting very cosy with Jowita at the National Television Awards on Wednesday night.

Pete's involvement in the BBC show shocked viewers given his close friendship with Zara McDermott, who was physically and verbally abused by her professional dance partner Graziano Di Prima on last year's series.

Yet Pete insisted it hadn't stopped Zara supporting him as he told MailOnline: 'Zara loves the show, and she’s been a massive support so she will probably be my number one fan.'

When it was suggested Zara could teach him some moves, he quipped: 'It’s my partner that’s going to teach me everything so I’m just excited to get going.'

And Pete was certainly keen to embrace the full Strictly experience as he said of the glittering costumes: 'I’m in for a penny, in for a pound. I’m never going to be here again, am I?'

On whether being teamed up with the lovely Jowita makes it all worth it, Pete enthused: 'Oh, 100%! The little pocket rocket? I’ve got this in the bag now, I’ve changed my mind – I’m going to win it.'

However, while he was sure on his partner, the TV star appeared a little puzzled over his upcoming dance after Jowita revealed they'll be doing a Paso Doble to The Prodigy's Breathe.

With a baffled look on his face, the long-haired lothario asked: 'What’s a Paso Doble?'