John Whaite claps back at fans complaining about his thirst traps

Not on his watch!

Best known for winning The Great British Bake Off season 3 and finishing as a runner-up on Strictly Come Dancing season 19 alongside pro dancer Johannes Radebe, John Whaite has had a contentious relationship with the content he’s interested in sharing on social media.

Recently, it seems like Whaite has been slowing down on sharing the thirst traps that he was once known to post regularly. On the other hand, Whaite is still a fitness enthusiast who does share pictures and videos of his body sometimes… and it seems like certain fans are now having issues with those posts.

“Posted this story yesterday,” Whaite wrote in an Instagram story, showing a picture of him shirtless and seemingly sweaty after working out. “Then got this message,” he added. The message from a fan that Whaite received reads:

“This is why I stopped following you, don’t want to see your body (nice as it is you mentioned this in your book and you are going that route again. 1 less follower!”

Whaite first wrote that he “quickly deleted the story, feeling ashamed and guilty for being a show-off [or] self-indulgent.” But the Strictly star then added a new layer:

“Then, overnight, I realized that this person is only willing to accept a version of me that they deem suitable. Well, I’m done offering “versions” of myself to please other people. I’m a proud baker, a proud businessman, a proud weightlifter, a proud amateur guitarist, a proud husband, a proud son, a proud uncle. I am many different things to many different people, but I’ll never be one single thing. As my wise mum always says: you can’t have bits of people, you accept them for all they are, or not at all.”

Instagram (@john_whaite)

“So, turrah, dallyn, watch the door doesn’t hit you in the a$ on the way out,” he concluded the Instagram story.

After a brief stint on OnlyFans, Whaite realized that the platform just wasn’t right for him. In the meantime, the reality TV star has also shared videos of him baking, behind-the-scenes pictures of his time on Strictly. Recently, Whaite announced that he and Paul Atkins, his partner of 16 years, have finally tied the knot.

It’s always strange when fans develop a parasocial relationship with celebrities to the point where they feel like they can hold these people accountable. Granted, most fans have never even met these celebs and don’t know what’s changed, evolved, or is going on in their lives.

There’s a likelihood that Whaite has evolved his opinions on posting content like this. It’s also possible that he won’t like looking back at this — but if/when that happens, it’ll be his own decision to hold himself accountable. Generally speaking, fan messages like these come off as really weird, and even more so when they come with the “threat” of an unfollow. Like, okay…?

Sending some good vibes your way, John Whaite!