John Whaite is set to be in the first ever all-male partnership after being announced as the latest celeb to join the Strictly lineup.
The chef, who won The Great British Bake Off in 2012, will put on his dancing shoes for the new series which hits our screens this autumn on BBC One.
And while it’s not yet been revealed who he’ll be partnered with – fan speculation is leaning towards Johannes Radebe or Graziano Di Prima – it’s sure to be show-stopping performance after show-stopping performance.
Away from the dancing show though, John is happily in a relationship with graphic designer Paul Atkins.
John and Paul are actually engaged and announced the happy news back in 2017.
Baker John took to Instagram with the news, sharing an image of them looking suave alongside the caption: “My true love. We’ve decided to get married. We’ve fought for these rights, and we shall use them.”
Other than that rare insight into his love life, John keeps his time away from screens very private.
However the couple has been together for just over 12 years, and they are clearly going from strength to strength.
John, who has been an advocate for LGBTQ rights, previously appeared on the cover of well-known gay culture magazine Attitude with fiancé Paul.
The former Bake Off champion previously also shared his coming experience and how it had been a challenging time for him.
In an interview with lifestyle blog rucomingout.com he said: “I didn’t really know any gay people because it was still a bit of a touchy subject, especially being a working class northern lad – it wasn’t often discussed.”
John isn’t actually the first to be part of a same-sex couple on Strictly, as boxer Nicola Adams had the honour last year when she partnered with Katya Jones.
Taking to instagram following the casting announcement, John tearfully said: “Oh my god, you guys, there’s so many nice messages already and I’ve only just come off air and I’m actually crying real tears because of how nice you’re all being.”
He added: “I’m so excited to be on Strictly, it’s a dream come true and it’s even more of a dream to be doing the first all-male partnership and I hope that there are kids watching who look up and think, ‘It’s okay to be who you are.’
“So thanks for all the messages, I’m going back to bed, lots of love!”
Also speaking to actor Matt Lucas on BBC Radio 2, he shared: “When they asked me if I’d be interested, I just bit their hand off because I thought, to do that and represent the LGBTQ+ community is one thing, but also just to see two men or two women dancing together, it’s not necessarily about sexuality, it’s just about intimacy and respect.”
The TV presenter and author continued: “And I think that’s going to be such a great thing in our culture, where men are sort of conditioned not to open up and not to be emotional.
“I think it might help to combat that. So I’m excited on so many levels to be doing the first all-male partnership.”
“I hope that kids watch this and see it and it becomes normal for them. They don’t have to grow up in shame, they don’t have to grow up worrying about who they are.
“I hope this kind of sets a bar for kids to think, I am who I am, and I’m proud of that.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
