Johannes Radebe says his strict partnership with ‘caring’ John Whaite was ‘special’… after the GBBO star admitted he ‘fell for him’ on the show

Johannes Radebe opens up about his Strictly Come Dancing partnership with John Whaite on this week’s Jonathan Ross Show.

The professional dancer, 36, who was partnered with the Great British Bake Off star, 34, on the ITV skating show in 2021 gushed over their bond on the upcoming programme.

John, who married husband Paul Atkins in 2024, revealed in 2023 that he had ‘fallen for’ his dance partner Johannes during their time on Strictly.

And speaking about his experience with John, Johannes discusses their close partnership after he almost fell for the infamous Strictly curse.

He says: ‘He lifted me as if I were a feather. I am a well built man and I have always lifted women and I know the level of care that goes into it.

The professional dancer, who was partnered with the Great British Bake Off star on the ITV skating show in 2021, gushed over their bond on the upcoming show

‘For me it was quite special to experience it for the first time and I have to thank John Whaite for being really caring towards me.

‘He was quite patient while I was trying to figure it out.

‘The truth is that for the first time in my life I’ve had someone say to me “I’ve got you”.’

They were the first ever same-sex male couple on the show and made it to the final two before being beaten by Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice.

In a candid interview with The Times, John told how he ‘fell in love’ with Johannes while he was engaged to his partner Paul.

He said the pair ‘spent some time apart’ after he opened up about his feelings for the South African dancer.

In excerpts from his memoir, Dancing on Eggshells, John detailed the depth of his feelings for Johannes.

He described feeling a ‘sense of loss’ after Strictly finished as he would no longer get to see Johannes every day and expressed that he wanted to ‘be close to him’.

John (right), who married husband Paul Atkins (left) in 2024, revealed in 2023 that he had ‘fallen for’ his dance partner Johannes during their time on Strictly

And speaking about his experience with John, Johannes discusses their close partnership after he almost fell for the infamous Strictly curse

He says: ‘For me it was quite special to experience it for the first time and I have to thank John Whaite for being really caring towards me. The truth is that for the first time in my life I’ve had someone say to me “I got you”

They were the first ever same-sex male couple on the show and made it to the final two before being beaten by Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice

He said: ‘After the last dance I hung up my clothes for the last time. I felt a sense of loss.

‘Not because the competition was over, I was cranky and ready for a break, but because I didn’t want to see Johannes every single day.

‘I saw him sitting on the windowsill in the dressing room drinking a glass of champagne, still sparkling in his bright white dancing clothes.

‘I was jealous of the beads of sweat as they glistened on his beautiful skin. I wanted to be close to him… We hugged goodbye, I didn’t want to let go’.

Speaking about the infamous Strictly curse, John added: ‘Johannes knew (the curse) could happen. He had seen it a thousand times with his dance buddies over the years.

‘When you’re pressed physically against another man for ten hours a day, things move emotionally… He was careful. Strict has a magical way of revealing the truth.’

Discussing his relationship with his fiancée in the aftermath, he recalled: ‘For a while Paul and I had to have some time apart. I felt that I no longer knew what I wanted from my existence.

‘Paul had moved back in with his parents and I thought to myself “What the hell are you doing?” I made that childhood premonition of growing old alone come true.

In a candid interview with The Times, John told how he ‘fell in love’ with Johannes while he was engaged to his partner Paul

In excerpts from his memoir, Dancing on Eggshells, John described the depth of his feelings for Johannes

‘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 flunked the whole thing.’

However, John has said that the couple managed to put the issue behind them as they did not want to throw away the history they had together.

John has previously admitted he ‘still loves’ Johannes, but said he believes being in regular contact would be disrespectful to his partner.

The Jonathan Ross Show airs on April 13 at 22:05 on ITV1 and ITVX