The Great British Bake Off and Strictly Come Dancing star, John Whaite, has revealed that he 'fell in love' with his co-star Johannes Radebe and fell victim to the Strictly curse while on the show.
John Whaite is one of The Great British Bake Off's most successful contestants after he won the show in 2012 at age 23. The star then made headlines as one of the celebrity participants in the Strictly Come Dancing 2021 lineup and part of the first-ever same-sex couple in Strictly Come Dancing with his professional dance partner Johannes Radebe.
Fans were obsessed with the chemistry between John and Johannes and despite the fact that John had a long-term partner, many thought that the dance duo's chemistry could translate off-stage and they could be falling victim to the infamous Strictly curse.
It has now been revealed that while the pair may not have acted on their desires, John had fallen in love with Johannes while they worked together on the show.
In an interview with The Times, John Whaite said, "I fell in love with him. I can’t speak for him – because I’m not allowed to, legally – but it felt like there was love there."
"We had so much in common. We had such similar stories growing up – the homophobia, the bullying, coming out, coming to terms with our sexuality – as any queer kid would. And there was just a beautiful symmetry about it, because it was on the other side of the earth. He’s black and I’m white, yet we still have that lived experience. It shows how we’re human," said John."So yes, I fell in love with Johannes. I still love Johannes. Of course I do."
John revealed that he told all of this to Paul Atkins, his fiancé and partner of 15 years. "All the way through, me and Paul discussed it," he said. "Paul of all people deserved to understand how I was feeling."
"You go through life being told that you’ll fall in love with someone, you’ll get married, you’ll have children and that’s it. But love can’t just be directed to one person. The heart can easily split into two or three or four. And those loves aren’t mutually exclusive," he said.
Following his time on Strictly (where John and Johannes were runners-up to Rose Ayling -Ellis and Giovanni Pernice) John explained that he and Paul spent some time apart. Paul moved back to his parent's home and John, "sat on the patio, drinking bottle after bottle of sauvignon blanc."
However, Paul and John worked it out eventually. "I look at Paul and what he’s put up with over the years and how he’s nurtured me and stood by me, and who would throw that away? I couldn’t."
Speaking about Johannes again he said, "I love him to bits and I worship the ground he walks on, but I have to be mindful that there’s more than my own desires to consider here and if it would be tricky for Paul for me to be in contact with Johannes, then it’s a sacrifice that I have to make."
"And also for Johannes. He needs to move on with his life too. I hope I always am in contact with him. We shared something really important and that will never be taken away from us," he said.
In an interview with Reign with Josh Smith podcast back in January 2022 soon after Strictly concluded, Johannes confessed to being in love with John.
"In my moments of doubt, John just stood by me and waited for me to figure it all out. And I can't tell you that patience, I'm in love with the man. And I know he's a married man - soon to be - but let me tell you something, people come into your life and you just don't know how you've been doing without them this entire time," he said. "And that has been John for me, a really, really lovely lad. I can't tell you, he's the nicest person you’re ever gonna meet in your whole entire life."
