28 December 2023 , 20:57
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Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite thanked his understudy after he was forced to drop out of panto due to an illness.
The 34-year-old is currently busy performing in Cinderella in Bradford but wasn't able to go on stage on Thursday as he fell ill. As he was absent, an understudy took his place as Dandini to ensure the night went smoothly while he focused on recovering in bed at home.
He took to his Instagram Stories to re-post a glitzy photo of his co-star and professional actor William Elijah Lewis. He added: "This little superstar stood in for me today (I'm ill) and apparently he was sensational. Proud of you (and so bloody grateful for you) @williamelijahlewis)."
John didn't specify when he would return to the show. The panto has been playing at The Alhambra Theatre in Bradford since the beginning of the month and will run until January 21. It stars the likes of Emmerdale's Samantha Giles as The Wicked Stepmother and comedian Billy Pearce as Buttons.
John thanked his understudy for covering for him (Instagram)
The Strictly star (right) missed the panto as he was ill (john_whaite/Instagram)Celebrity chef John recently shocked fans when he revealed he was quitting TV after Steph's Packed Lunch got axed from screens. The star first burst into the public spotlight in 2012 when he was a contestant on The Great British Bake Off - which he won. He then attracted even more attention as a contestant on Strictly in 2021 where he was partnered with professional dancer Johannes Radebe - becoming the first ever same-sex male couple to compete on the show.
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From 2020, he was a regular chef on Steph's Packed Lunch. Unfortunately, it was announced a few months ago that the Channel 4 series was getting the axe. It aired its final episode earlier this month. Following the announcement, John revealed it was the right time for him to retire from the spotlight.
Taking to Instagram in October, the Bake Off hunk thanked fans who had approached him to check he was okay after his daytime show was cancelled. He said: “Thanks for all the lovely messages. Honestly, I am completely fine. This is the truth. I was going to leave TV this year anyway.
"That’s why I’ve been off Packed Lunch for a couple of weeks to get my head in the gear and I just came to the conclusion that I think my career in television is now done. I’ve had a great run and loved it. I’ll do the odd bit here and there but I need to focus my attention now on business and on my creativity, so that’s where I am. If you’re going to think about anybody and give best wishes to anybody, please think of the Packed Lunch team.”
He also added that the team working behind the scenes of Steph’s Packed Lunch had been “completely blindsided by this” and “they’ve had the rug pulled out from underneath them, which is really, really terrible.”