26 August 2023 , 15:04
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Professional Strictly Come Dancing star Johnannes Radebe has finally spoken out about the shock love admission by his former Strictly dance partner, John Whaite.
The duo were paired together during the 2021 series of the BBC dance show and according to John, 34,who found fame on Great British Bake Off, he had developed feelings for the South African dancer, despite being engaged. And while he had kept slient at the time the admission was made, Johnannes, 36, has now decided to break his silence.
John managed to avoid the Strictly curse which has claimed the relationships of many contestants over the years and Johannes insists that the pair are simply good friends. The Great British Bake Off winner had spoken of his strong feelings for Johannes in his memoir Dancing On Eggshells: Kitchen, Ballroom and The Messy Inbetween.
Strictly star Johannes Radebe has spoken out about John Whaite's shock love confession (Getty Images)But now, speaking of his upcoming memoir Jojo: Finally Home, Johannes told The Times: "We have gone on to have such a beautiful experience together that it would be a shame if we were not friends after all that. What we agreed is that, regardless of what life throws at us, we will always keep [this friendship] going."
He added: "We are friends for life,'I always say to him. 'I know where you live. You cannot get rid of me.' I still speak to him." This comes after John said that he "still loves" Johannes but believes that staying in regular contact would be disrespectful to his partner Paul Atkins, who he has been with for more than a decade.
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John said: "I love him to bits and I worship the ground he walks on, but I have to be mindful that there's more than my own desires to consider here and if it would be tricky for Paul for me to be in contact with Johannes, then it's a sacrifice that I have to make." The South African born star is currently searching for his own true love but previously, he had never thought he deserved to be in love due to internalised homophobia.
He continued: "I want a partner. I want one. I need one. Every aspect of my life is great except for that. I deserve love and I never, ever thought that I deserved to be loved in that way." His mother only aknowleged his sexuality after his same sex pairing with John on Strictly but claimed that she had always supported him against homophobic bullies.
The BBC dance show first showcased same-sex pairings in 2020 when boxing legend Nicola Adams was paired with Kayta Jones. However, Johannes and John were the first male same sex couple the following year. Speaking on Lorraine, John insisted that he had not penned anything that his partner Paul and Johannes would not be comfortable with.
He said: "The reason I've spoken about that story and specifically where Johannes is concerned and where my partner is concerned - I haven't written anything people didn't want me to write. The reason I've spoken about that story is to illustrate that life is difficult. We are fragile human beings and that our hearts sometimes can be torn into two. "