04 September 2023 , 21:53
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Johannes Radebe has shared his "very conservative" belief "in monogamy" just weeks on from his former celebrity dance partner admitting they fell in love during their time together on Strictly Come Dancing.
The Strictly professional mused how it's "unfortunate" the world has changed over recent years, but the BBC star is still confident he will "find someone who shares the same values as me. Johannes' comments on love and relationships follow Great British Bake Off star John Whaite making a number of revelations about their friendship.
With less than a month to go until Strictly Come Dancing 2023 premieres, excitement is fast building up for the feel-good reality series. Celebrity chef John, who starred on the nineteenth season of the BBC show in 2021, has now shared his best advice for the upcoming line-up - and dropped some surprising truth bombs about the glitzy competition.
The 34-year-old's words of wisdom come two years after he made history as one half of the show's first male same-sex pairing, after being partnered with renowned South African dancer Johannes. The talented duo waltzed their way into the final, but ultimately lost the coveted Glitterball trophy to Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanne Pernice.
John Whaite says he 'fell in love' with Strictly partner Johannes Radebe (WireImage)
John Whaite dancing with Johannes on the Strictly live tour (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)Appearing on Steph's Packed Lunch on Monday, John told this year's Strictly stars not to "forget your steps" if they want to go far in the intense competition. He also warned them against getting too close to their partners, urging, "Don't fall in love and remember that Strictly is a pantomime."
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John, who has previously confessed to falling in love with Johannes whilst he was already engaged to another man, went on to emphasize that the series isn't reality. "It's a lovely, beautiful show but at the end of the day, it's just showbiz, it's fake," the 34-year-old explained. "Just do it, treat it as a job, go home and think about the people that you love, because at the end of the day, Strictly Come Dancing is not going to hold your hand on your deathbed, the people that you love are going to be there."
Last month, John admitted he "fell in love" with Johannes during filming. "I can't speak for him – because I'm not allowed to, legally – but it felt like there was love there," he confessed. "We had such similar stories growing up; the homophobia, the bullying, coming out, coming to terms with our sexuality, as any queer kid would."
Despite acknowledging he still has love for Johannes, John made the tough decision to cut contact with him out of respect for his partner, graphic designer Paul Atkins. Johannes has since spoken out about his commitment to fidelity, telling Hello! magazine that he embraces the philosophy of being faithful to one romantic partner.
"I'm very conservative and believe in monogamy," he admitted. "Unfortunately we live in a world where times have changed, but I believe there are people out there who have the same values as me'.
The Strictly Come Dancing 2023 lineup was announced last month, with the star-studded list including Amanda Abbington, Angela Rippon, Layton Williams, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Eddie Kadi, Angela Scanlon, Zara McDermott, Adam Thomas, Nikita Kanda, Ellie Leach, Jody Cundy, Bobby Brazier, Nigel Harman, Les Dennis and Annabel Croft.