Pete

OLIVIA Attwood and Pete Wicks looked loved-up as they snogged in new snaps after his swipe at his exes.

Pete recently chatted about how he and Olivia got together, and seemed to throw shade at his exes Maura Higgins and Megan McKenna.

Olivia took to Instagram with a series of gorgeous snaps which she captioned: “I have so much fun being me I will tell you that xxxxx @riverisland round 4.”

In the snaps, Olivia looked stunning in a red satin mini skirt and matching funnel neck top as she snuggled up to her man.

While Pete looked stylish in a leather jacket which he wore over black jeans and a plain top.

In one snap, the couple are seen sharing a snog as they embrace each other and in others they posed moodily for the cameras.

Fans flocked to comment and one wrote: “Omg you guys are so f***ing HOTTTTT together.”

Another said: “Why do I suddenly fancy @p_wicks01 now he’s with @olivia_attwood – love looks so good on him!”

A third wrote: “Ahhhh can’t contain my happiness every time I see you & pete together. Love it.”

While a fourth said: “Looking fabulous!”

Speaking recently about how in love he feels, Pete shared that it feels like the first time he’s truly fallen.

He told the Daily Mail: “Yeah, I think so. I’ve loved people, of course, but it’s a different feeling to what I’ve had before.

“She’s [Olivia’s] become my best friend. She’s that before anything else.

“I have fallen in love for the first time and I don’t really have anything to compare it to.”

Pete and Olivia started dating in February of this year, and made their relationship Instagram official during a trip to Ibiza in July.

The romance follows Olivia’s divorce from former flame Bradley Dack.

Their marriage crumbled due to what was described at the time as a “breach of trust” on Bradley’s side.

Olivia had been friends with Pete for years prior to her beginning to date him.

And she recently revealed the exact moment Pete “fell in love” with her – which was bound to raise the eyebrows of ex Bradley Dack.

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is launching an office of religious affairs, the latest of his faith-related reforms at the Pentagon.

He announced in a speech Wednesday that the office will help offer “first-class religious support” and will report directly to him.

“Our department is, you might say, putting on the full armor of God, because while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual,” he said.

Hegseth has infused his evangelical Christianity into his leadership of the Pentagon, hosting Christian worship services for employees and often speaking of the United States as a Christian nation.

The Office of Religious Affairs, or ORA, will advocate for military chaplains and religious support “at the highest level of the Department,” according to a Pentagon statement. It will not “compel religious participation, favor one faith, or diminish the rights of personnel of any faith or lack thereof.”

Some criticism of the initiative surfaced quickly.

The Pentagon “owes it to the nation’s service members to defend religious freedom,” said Rachel Laser, head of Americans United for Separation of Church, which has sued the Pentagon over its worship services. “Hegseth’s latest announcement violates that promise by elevating Christianity to an even higher role in shaping U.S. military policy.”

Other federal agencies have had religious or faith-based offices, which were established under President George W. Bush and were continued in different forms under the Obama and Biden administrations. President Donald Trump established a White House Faith Office and had a similar effort during his first term.

Shaun Casey, a religion scholar, led the State Department’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs during the Obama administration. The office did not promote religion or spiritual well-being, he said. “It was there to understand what were the political implications of lived religion in the various hot spots around the world.”

The leader of the new office has not been named. A Pentagon memo said the religious affairs director will coordinate spiritual resources, including “faith-based homeschool support for military families.” Hegseth has also pushed the military school system to introduce more coursework that draws from conservative and Christian influences.

The memo mentions “faith-based initiatives supporting Department-wide suicide reduction.” In recent years, the military has become increasingly dependent on chaplains to help address the growing numbers of troops in mental health distress. Hegseth has said he wants chaplains to focus more on God and less on therapeutic “self-help and self-care.”

The secretary has pushed other changes within the military’s chaplain corps, which provides spiritual care to troops. He ordered chaplains, who are commissioned officers, to no longer wear their rank on their uniform but instead be identified by religious insignia.

The Defense Department also slashed the number of religious affiliations it officially recognizes, down to 31 from more than 200 previously recognized traditions. The list no longer includes atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans.

Hegseth spoke directly to chaplains in his address Wednesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. Using Christian-inflected language, he said: “Live your calling. Stand firm. Preach truth. Minister to the flock.”

He then quoted from the Bible: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do unto me?”

Stanley writes for the Associated Press.

PETE Wicks has seemingly taken a thinly veiled swipe at his exes Maura Higgins and Megan McKenna.

The swipe came as the star chatted to the Daily Mail about how he and Olivia got together, as he seemed to shade his past relationships.

Speaking about how in love he feels, Pete shared that it feels like the first time he’s truly fallen.

He said: “Yeah, I think so. I’ve loved people, of course, but it’s a different feeling to what I’ve had before.

“She’s [Olivia’s] become my best friend. She’s that before anything else.

“I have fallen in love for the first time and I don’t really have anything to compare it to.”

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Pete also revealed that he opened up about his feelings for Olivia before Olivia opened up to him.

Chatting about whether he was nervous, Pete noted: “I’m quite a confident guy in a lot of areas, but not as confident when it comes to feelings.

“It was not a case of just fancying someone. Obviously I do – she’s beautiful, I think she’s incredible – but there was more.

“I didn’t really know what that was, or where it came from. It just happened.”

Pete and Olivia started dating in February of this year, and made their relationship Instagram official during a trip to Ibiza in July.

The romance follows Olivia’s divorce from former flame Bradley Dack.

Their marriage crumbled due to what was described at the time as a “breach of trust” on Bradley’s side.

Olivia had been friends with Pete for years prior to her beginning to date him.

Months of romance rumours swirled before the pair confirmed their romance, and they appear to be super loved up!

Pete and Maura dated for around six months between 2024 and 2025.

They split on Valentines Day of 2025 following a fiery row.

Meanwhile Pete and Megan were together for approximately a year and a half, with their relationship beginning in 2016.

The ups and downs of their romance were documented on The Only Way Is Essex.

HEARTBROKEN Pete Wicks has urged fans to stop questioning the whereabouts of his dog and opened up about a tough loss. 

The former Towie star, 37, is famously known for his love of dogs and close bond with his own canines companions. 

In December last year Pete – who is in a relationship with Love Island star and documentary-maker Olivia Attwood – told how he was spending Christmas alone after one of his French bulldogs, Peggy, died. 

Now he’s taken to social media to ask fans to stop speculating about another one of his Frenchies, Eric, who he rescued in 2016 – sharing the sad news that he has also passed away. 

He 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. 

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Olivia Attwood reveals when Pete ‘fell in love with her’ – and ex will be furious

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“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.” 

Such is Pete’s love of dogs that he fronted documentary series Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake in 2025 which followed him as he worked behind the scenes at Dogs’ Trust rehoming centres. 

Speaking earlier this year ahead of series three of the UKTV show, he told RadioTimes: “Whatever love you give dogs, you get back tenfold. 

“People are quite cruel. I cannot abide by people who don’t treat animals with respect. 

“I don’t understand why more people who have a bit of a platform don’t give a voice to the voiceless.

“That’s what I try to do in any way I possibly can. It means a lot to me.”

THINGS seem to be going from strength to strength for Olivia Attwood and Pete Wicks as they enjoyed a loved-up weekend together after spending time apart.

The couple cuddled up for a mirror selfie in a lift, with Pete holding up his phone as Olivia leaned into him.

Shared by Pete on Instagram, the presenter’s £26k Hermès bag could also be seen at her side as they posed for the cosy snap.

Olivia, 35, recently spent time in New York for Fashion Week while Pete, 37, remained in the UK.

The pair had made their red carpet debut as a couple at the National Television Awards just days before she flew out.

They shared a kiss in front of the cameras at London’s O2 Arena, after keeping their romance a secret from fans for months.

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Olivia and Pete were first pictured kissing in March, following her split from footballer husband Bradley Dack in January.

Pete finally made their relationship Instagram official in July with a series of cosy snaps from a trip to Ibiza. Alongside them, he wrote: “I guess someone has to go first.”

Their romance grew out of a long friendship, and the pair previously hosted The Sunday Roast together on KISS. 

Olivia has described being with the former Towie star as “the easiest thing I’ve ever done”.

And their latest loved-up picture suggests the couple are definitely pleased to be back together after Olivia’s trip across the Atlantic.