CAPE TOWN - Strictly Come Dancing UK has for the first time an all-male couple pairing in the 2021 edition of the popular reality TV dance show.
John Whaite, the English baker who won the third series of The Great British Bake Off in 2012, and South African dancer and choreographer Johannes Radebe will make history as the first all-male couple during the 19th season of the dance franchise.
Radebe has won the Professional South African Latin championships twice and has been the Amateur Latin South African champion three times.
Radebe was a professional dancer on South Africa's version of Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 on SABC3 and Dancing with the Stars in 2018 on M-Net.
Two more South Africans will also make their mark on the hit show.
Oti Mabuse and Cameron Lombard have earned their stripes as successful dancers and are poised to show off their talents on the new season of Strictly Come Dancing UK, according to the website The South African.com.
In a recent interview, Whaite, when asked whom he wanted to be partnered with, said: “I really want Johannes,” wrote news website Mirror.co.uk.
He added that he thought it would be “really important for him” as being an openly gay dancer, due to it being a “powerful message”, said the report.
Whaite said that’s not to say in the future it has to be two gay men, adding that it could be two straight men, he told HELLO magazine.
According to reports, social media was thrilled with the historic pairing, with many lauding the step of inclusivity.
The series kicked off amid a Covid-19 crisis after two pro dancers were reported to have refused the vaccine, sparking chaos behind the scenes as some celebrities were reluctant to be paired with them, wrote Daily Mail.co.uk.
ANA