Johannes Radebe Reacts to Strictly Partner John Whaite Confessing His Love

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A few weeks ago, John Whaite confessed to falling in love with his Strictly Come Dancing partner.

Bernardo Sim

Deputy Editor

Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out. He's also a staff contributor to The Advocate, PRIDE, and other equalpride publications. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida.

You can follow Bernardo Sim on Instagram. Otherwise, you can find him on Bluesky, Threads, X/Twitter, and TikTok.

Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out. He's also a staff contributor to The Advocate, PRIDE, and other equalpride publications. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida.

You can follow Bernardo Sim on Instagram. Otherwise, you can find him on Bluesky, Threads, X/Twitter, and TikTok.

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Bernardo Sim

August 29 2023 11:29 AM EST

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They found love in the ballroom.

A few weeks ago, John Whaite revealed that he fell in love with his dance partner Johannes Radebe while competing by his side as the first-ever same-sex pair on Strictly Come Dancing. Even though it was hard to let go of those feelings, Whaite decided to set them aside in order to prioritize his existing relationship with fiancé Paul Atkins.

Now, Radebe spoke to The Times and disclosed his reaction to Whaite’s admission. The Strictly Come Dancing pro dancer explained:

“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. ‘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.”

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Now that it’s officially established that he and Whaite are just friends, Radebe is ready to actually find love for himself. He told the publication:

“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.”

As a pair on Strictly Come Dancing, Radebe and Whaite finished the competition as the runners-up. This was a pretty remarkable milestone for the first-ever same-sex pairing in the history of the series.

Radebe last competed in season 20 of Strictly, which aired in 2022. He was paired up with comedian and actress Ellie Taylor, and the pair was eliminated in week 10.

We hope Whaite and Radebe are able to move forward as friends, and that Radebe does find the love he seeks along the way!

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