Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe hugged childhood bully during reunion after dancer was taunted for his flamboyance

Strictly favorite Johannes Radebe has told how he finally met a bully who tormented him with his dancing during his childhood and they hugged – after a ‘beautiful’ and cathartic conversation.

Pro dancer Johannes, who was part of Strictly’s first same-sex couple with John Whaite, grew up in South Africa and was bullied for his flamboyance and love of dance – revealing he had even pushed his head down a toilet.

But five weeks ago he returned to his homeland and met one of his biggest tormentors, now a father of two.

He told Radio 4’s Saturday Live show: ‘I didn’t have a childhood like other children where I could roam the streets without being bullied. It’s suffocating and has been that way for years.

“They hit me and said, ‘Are you a moth, are you a sissy?’ High school was especially horrible. I stopped going to the boys’ toilets because of the bullying the one day they stuck my head in the toilet bowl.

“I thought, ‘I’m never going to go there, so I’m going to go to the teacher’s bathroom.'”

He continued: “I met Malcolm, who was one of the bullies the other day when I went home, like five weeks ago.

‘By his side I felt sorry for him, because I realized that it was him, that it was his insecurities, that he was the one who had a problem, not me.

“And it was lovely to have a conversation about where we are in life now.”

When asked where Malcolm was, Johannes said: ‘Unfortunately unemployed, a situation that plagues my country. But what was interesting and beautiful was to see that he has also grown as a person.

“And it was honestly beautiful just to have a conversation with him. I told him “you were something else”, and he said “I know”.

‘The fact that he also acknowledged that. I remember us hugging each other and saying goodbye, and that was nice.”

When asked if Malcolm apologized, the dancer said: “He did. I think I needed to release him a long time ago so I could get on with my life, but for that to happen, I acknowledged it and just said, “You know this is where we are now, don’t you”.

Vilified: Johannes was bullied for his flamboyance and love of dance – and revealed he had even pushed his head down a toilet

‘I didn’t want to worry about it much. I was like “good for you, it was never me, I understand now, but good for you for seeing things differently now”.

‘He has two children. What does he pass on to those children, that is always my concern. You never know how they will turn out.”

When asked if the trip and meeting Malcolm was a cathartic experience that helped, he said, “It really was.”

It comes after Johannes revealed he was stopped by police during the show’s UK tour because he ‘looked suspicious’.

The South African dancer recalled being approached by officers outside a venue and said being treated like a criminal felt like a ‘slap in the face’.

In an excerpt from his autobiography JOJO Finally Home obtained by The mirror Johannes wrote: ‘A police van stopped in the parking lot where I was sitting.

‘When they came by, I showed my ID. “Is there something wrong?” I asked one of them. “No, you look suspicious and resemble someone we are looking for.”

“Maybe they were doing their job, but the fact that I was just standing on stage with thousands of people shouting my name and now I was being accosted by police who thought I might be a criminal felt like a slap in the face.”

Showman: The dancer recently recalled being approached by officers outside a venue and said being treated like a criminal felt like a ‘slap in the face’ (pictured in BBC show)

It comes after the star broke down in tears while speaking about his mother Jacobeth on Loose Women on Thursday, who he said is ‘alone’.

Johannes cried as he delved into the backstory of his autobiography, which details the experiences and challenges he faced growing up in Zamdela, South Africa, with a passion for dance.

Looking back on his childhood, the Latin champion said: ‘It’s so far from the life I live now, I can take care of my family, my mother feels comfortable.

‘I was bullied because I was a bit cheerful and flamboyant. Dance was my refuge. I hated school, but I’m so grateful to my teacher for rallying people.

About his sexuality, he said: ‘It was frowned upon, even by some of my relatives, but now I am in the fortunate position that it is accepted.

“While I was writing the book, I sat down and she was interviewed and I asked her questions like, ‘Why did you make that decision? Why did you stay so long in a marriage that didn’t serve you?’

Johannes choked up as he said, “It’s only recently that I’ve made peace with what happened to the past.

“Because I got the chance to hear my mother’s side of the story.”