02 February 2024 , 11:24
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John Whaite has married his partner of 16 years after admitting he 'fell in love' with Johannes Radebe.
The Bake Off winner was partnered with Johannes on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021, where he reached the final and later admitted he had fallen victim to the Strictly curse. After briefly splitting from his then-fiancé Paul Atikins, John has revealed he married his partner in a secret ceremony in New York.
Along photos of the happy couple, John wrote on Instagram: "Our big day in the Big Apple. Mr & Mr. 'No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family.
"In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death."
He continued: "'It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfilment for themselves.
Strictly's Molly Rainford and Tyler West fuel romance rumours while on tour
Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite has revealed he has married his partner Paul Atkins after tying the knot in New York City as the newlyweds share sweet announcement post"Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.' Justice Anthony Kennedy, 2015".
John's Strictly partner Johannes commented: "Massive congratulations," while fellow Strictly stars Maisie Smith and Rhys Stephenson wrote: "Omg so happy for you," and "Congratulations guys!!!" respectively.
Last year, John revealed that he "fell in love" with Johannes while they competed on Strictly. “When you’re physically pressed against another man for 10 hours a day, things move emotionally … I fell in love with him,” he told The Times.
John admitted he 'fell in love' with Johannes (BBC/Guy Levy)
John and his partner tied the knot in New York (Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images)“I can’t speak for him – because I’m not allowed to, legally – but it felt like there was love there. Paul of all people deserved to understand how I was feeling.
“You go through life being told that you’ll fall in love with someone, you’ll get married, you’ll have children and that’s it. But love can’t just be directed to one person. The heart can easily split into two or three or four. And those loves aren’t mutually exclusive."
John explained the couple spent some time apart, but after they reunited, the Bake Off winner agreed to only speak to Johannes "occasionally" as being in contact with the professional dancer would be "tricky" for Paul. Johannes later told The Times that her and John are "friends for life".