22 August 2023 , 09:42
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Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite and his pro dancer partner Johannes Radebe were spotted holding hands just months before John admitted he fell in love with the pro dancer.
The photos were reportedly taken as the pair – who came second on the BBC1 dance show back in 2021 – left an awards ceremony together at the Roundhouse venue in Camden, North London, in October last year.
In the snaps, John, 34, and Johannes, 36, are seen holding hands as they walk down the stairs. Onlookers claim the pair “could not keep their hands off each other” as they were “openly affectionate” and “clearly seemed like they were a couple”. It is also claimed the pair sat arm in arm next to each other at the event.
But the snaps may come as a blow to John’s fiancé Paul Aitkins, who he has been in a relationship with for 15 years since meeting on Facebook. Then in 2017 the couple decided to get engaged.
John Whaite and Johannes Radebe spotted together at an event last year (MailOnline)
The Strictly stars 'sat next to each other all night and at one point were arm in arm' (MailOnline)An onlooker told MailOnline, where the pictures were published: “If there was a night out which showed how close they were, then this was it. John wore a deep cut V neck see through shirt and all his chest muscles which he flaunted on Strictly were clearly no show for everyone to see and Johannes seemed to love it all.
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“But the pair left no-one in doubt they could have been an item. The pair sat next to each other all night and at one point were arm in arm. They clearly seemed a couple. It was very romantic to watch. They were inseparable. Throughout the evening the pair looked into each other’s eyes and held hands. At one point John had his arm around Johannes’ waist at their table for everyone to see and Johannes had his arm around John.”
The source claimed that although the pair “clearly looked together”, they were careful not to share it everyone as “their close bond was not an open secret at the time, unlike it is now”. It comes after baker John, who shot to fame after winning Great British Bake Off in 2012, revealed he had “fallen in love” with Johannes during his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing and admitting cheating on his fiancé Paul.
John recently shared how he 'fell in love' with Johannes during his time on Strictly (MailOnline)
The Great British Bake Off star briefly split from fiance Paul but the pair have since reunited (Instagram)Opening up to The Times ahead of his upcoming autobiography ‘Dancing on Eggshells’ being released, John said he developed feelings for Johannes after being partnered with him and feels like he is “still in love” with him now.
John said: “I fell in love with him. I can’t speak for him – because I’m not allowed to, legally – but it felt like there was love there. We had so much in common. We had some similar stories growing up – the homophobia, the bullying, coming out, coming to terms with our sexuality – as any queer kid would. And there was just a beautiful symmetry about it because it was on the other side of the earth [John is from Lancashire and Johannes is South African].”
Explaining their close connection further, John continued: “He’s black and I’m white, yet we still have that lived experience. It shows how we’re human. So, yes I fell in love with Johannes. I still love Johannes, of course I do.”
In the same interview, John also confessed to cheating on his fiancé with "soap stars and celebrities" after finding fame which led to “drunken fondles and experiments” as he got somewhat swept away with it all." This even led to John and long-term partner spending some time apart, but the pair patched things up and in the past few days, John posted a picture of the together on Instagram showing they are still very much together.z
He wrote in the caption: “Thanks for all the lovely messages over the past few days. We’ve been so busy cleaning our cookery school (exciting times – see the link in bio for more details!) But also, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that Strictly Come Dancing is only a tiny portion of the contents of my forthcoming memoir. The book mostly describes what is it to be a human, and how with the love and support of others, we can pull ourselves out of some very dark places. It’s a story of hope and redemption, and not inane gossip.”
The Mirror has reached out to reps for John and Johannes for further comment on this story.