Johannes Radebe has broken his silence over John Whaite’s explosive romantic revelations about their time on Strictly Come Dancing.
The South African dancer, 36, has spoken of how he and John, 34, are ‘friends for life’ after having a ‘wonderful experience’ working together in the 2021 series.
It’s the first time Johannes has spoken about John since the former British Bake Off star confessed that he ‘fell in love’ with Johannes while he was engaged.
Johannes broke his silence over John’s comments, emphasizing the platonic nature of their bond and sharing how they’ve agreed to remain friends no matter what.
About his upcoming memoir Jojo: Speaking Home at last, he said The times: ‘We had such a beautiful experience together that it would be a shame if we were no longer friends after that.
Open: Johannes Radebe has broken his silence over John Whaite’s explosive romantic revelations about their time on Strictly Come Dancing
Rosponse: It’s John’s first time talking about John since the former Great British Bake Off star confessed he ‘fell in love’ with John while engaged
“What we have agreed is that no matter what life throws at us, we will always keep (this friendship) alive. “We’re friends for life,” I always tell him. ‘I know where you live. You can’t get rid of me.’ I still speak to him.’
It comes after John admitted he “still loves John” but said he believes regular contact would be disrespectful to his partner Paul Atkins.
He said, “I love him dearly and I adore the ground he walks on, but I have to bear in mind that there is more to this than just my own desires and whether it would be difficult for Paul to interact with Johannes, then it is a sacrifice I must make.’
Looking to the future, Johannes said how he wants a partner while candidly telling that he never thought he deserved to be in love because of internalized homophobia.
“I want a partner,” he said. ‘I want one. I need one. Every aspect of my life is great except that. I deserve love and I never thought I deserved to be loved that way.’
Johannes also shared how becoming dance partners with John, in the first-ever same-sex male pairing on Strictly, helped his family accept his sexuality.
He said his uncles now openly asked him if he would bring a male partner to South Africa to meet them, while the partnership helped his mother feel “confident” enough to embrace his sexuality.
Although his mother did not openly acknowledge his sexuality until after his homosexual pairing on Strictly, Johannes said she always supported him when he was the target of homophobic bullies as a child.
‘Friends for life’: Johannes broke his silence over John’s comments, emphasizing the platonic nature of their connection and sharing how they have agreed to remain friends no matter what
He admitted that he carried “shame” about his sexuality all his life and never talked about it with his family, but now realizes it never “worryed” them in the first place.
Johannes also confessed that he initially turned down the chance to be part of Strictly’s first male same-sex couple because he didn’t feel “comfortable” stepping into that public role out of “fear”.
In an excerpt from his upcoming memoir, shared by The Times, he said he didn’t want to put himself in a vulnerable position, but was persuaded by Strictly’s executive producer Sarah James to be part of the “breakthrough.”
During Strictly’s 14-week run, Johannes said he barely slept due to his stress-induced insomnia, but was elated when he reached second place for the first time.
The BBC dance competition first introduced same-sex partners in 2020 when boxing champion Nicola Adams was paired with Kayta Jones, while Johannes and John became the first male same-sex couple the following year.
It comes after his former dance partner John spoke of falling for Johannes while he was engaged to his partner of 15 years Paul Aktins, who he is still with now.
John appeared in Lorraine and told how his heart was “torn in two” when he talked about why he decided to expose everything about John in his memoirs. Dancing on eggshells.
John also insisted he didn’t write anything in the book that both John and his fiancée Paul didn’t want him to, discussing falling for the professional dancer.
He said, “The reason I’ve talked about that story, and specifically where it concerns John and where it concerns my partner, is because I didn’t write anything that people didn’t want me to write.
“The reason I talked about that story is to illustrate that life is hard. We are fragile people and that sometimes our hearts can be torn in two.
Fears: Johannes also confessed that he initially turned down the chance to be part of Strictly’s first same-sex couple because he didn’t feel ‘comfortable’ stepping into that public role due to ‘fear’
‘And sometimes you have to take stock and think to yourself: ‘Who am I, what are my values and how do I get back to them?’
Speaking of the infamous Strictly curse, John also joked, “How wonderful that the gays are getting embroiled in a Strictly scandal… It’s a sign of progress.”
John cryptically confessed that he had made “some very big mistakes” when he described what it was like to write down the highs and lows of his life.
“I’ve had a funny life, I’ve spoken very honestly on social media and television about my struggles in life, the highs and the lows,” he said.
‘When my publisher said if I wanted to write a book, I thought it was a good time. I wanted to show people that we are all human and no matter what happens in life, there are reassurances that it is all part of the bigger picture of life.
“That no matter what, we all make mistakes, and I’ve made some really big mistakes.”
John previously admitted that he and his fiancé Paul “separated for a while” after he opened up about his feelings for Johannes.
In excerpts from his forthcoming memoir, Dancing on Eggshells, obtained by The sunJohn detailed the depth of his feelings for Johannes.
He described feeling a “sense of loss” after Strictly was finished as he would no longer be seeing Johannes every day and said he wanted to “be close to him.”
He said: ‘After that last dance, I hung up my clothes for the last time. I felt a sense of loss.
Love: It comes after his former dance partner John spoke of falling for Johannes while engaged to his partner of 15 years Paul Aktins, who he is still with now
‘Not because the competition was over, I was dead tired and needed a break, but because I wouldn’t see Johannes every day.
“I watched him as he sat on the dressing room windowsill drinking a glass of champagne, still sparkling in his bright white show-dancing outfit.
“I envied the beads of sweat glistening on his beautiful skin. I wanted to be close to him… We hugged goodbye, I didn’t want to let go.”
Speaking of the infamous Strictly curse, John added, “John knew (the curse) could happen. He had seen it a thousand times over the years with his dance mates.
“When you’re physically pressed against another man for ten hours a day, things move emotionally… He was careful. Strictly has a magical way of revealing the truth.”
Discussing his relationship with his fiancee in the aftermath, he recalled, “Paul and I had to be apart for a while. I felt like I no longer knew what I wanted with my existence.
“Paul had moved back in with his parents and I thought to myself, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ I fulfilled the premonition from my childhood that I would grow old alone.
“Fourteen years in a solid relationship with a man who loves me unconditionally, a man who would move the earth to make me feel safe, and I was all pissed off about it.”
However, John has said that the couple have managed to put the issue behind them as they didn’t want to throw away the history they had together and have now rekindled their romance.
Tested: John previously admitted that he and his fiancé Paul ‘spent a while apart’ after he opened up about his feelings for Johannes, but they’ve since rekindled things
In addition to the revelations about Johannes, John shared how he was not always faithful to Paul after he won Bake Off in 2012 and was catapulted to fame.
He said there was “drunken fondling and experimentation with various soap stars and celebrities” at the time – while he had been with Paul for five years.
John added that he was “testing the limits of their relationship after he got a little carried away with everything.”
He said the fame was unexpected and saw him showered with “free gifts, champagne baskets, dining out, vacations, red carpets, parties and a six-figure book deal.”