John Whaite and Johannes Radebe have admitted they were left anxious over the potential backlash to them being the first all male couple on Strictly Come Dancing.
Former Great British Bake Off champion John and fan favourite pro dancer Johannes broke new ground for the hit BBC show last year with their pairing, a partnership that took them all the way to the final.
John and Johannes finished runners-up to Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice last month, delighting and viewing millions of viewers in equal measures with their performances like their amazing Pirates of the Caribbean paso doble and moving Couple's Choice routine, which saw John and Johannes open up about how much their partnership meant to them.
READ MORE: Vera cut short again by ITV as it's replaced by another drama
And, as they gear up to hit the road on the Strictly live tour, they appeared on Monday's Good Morning Britain to talk about the attention them being coupled up on the show brought.
Host Richard Madeley told John he'd heard he and Johannes they were nervous about being Strictly's first all male partnership, to which John, who won Bake Off back in 2012, told him: "When I got offered to do it, I thought maybe I should dance with a straight man because I just thought the flack we would receive as two gay men would be insurmountable.
"We were both conditioned to expect that - we were both bullied at school and trolling has never been as bad as it is now.”
He continued: “We both kind of felt that separately, only when we came together did we realise we had that same trepidation, that same anxiety. We were pleased to say the love we received far outweighed any trolling.”
Talking about the overwhelmingly positive reaction to him and Johannes dancing together, John added: "The amount of support we’ve had from people saying… even when people say things like, ‘I was very doubtful that this would work, but it’s changed my point of view’. How great is that?
“You don’t have to be angry that they once had that opinion.
"What we have to celebrate is the fact they were open minded enough to watch us and actually change their opinion and that is how change is created - slowly, gently, small baby steps to fabulous music and lots of brilliant costumes, darling.”
For the latest What's On news, announcements and reviews direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free newsletter
