John Whaite, a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, initially requested to dance with a woman because he was afraid of being hated for dancing with a man.
The 32-year old Great British Bake Off champion is joining Johannes Radebe (34), as part of the first all-male couple to perform on the BBC’s ballroom dance contest.
John was “anxious” about dancing with a male, because he believes gay people have been ‘conditioned’ to expect hate and flack.
Pushing boundaries: The former Great British Bake Off champion spoke out to Attitude in December about his pairing of with Johannes Radebe, 34 as part Strictly’s first man couple.
He told the December issue of Attitude magazine: ‘ As soon as I found out, I felt a little bit anxious.
“I believe that gay people have to choose where they go, who they speak to, and who they even look at. We have been taught to expect hate and flack from others.
“I believe that gay people have to choose where they go, who they speak to, and who they even look at. We have been taught to expect hate and flack from others.
‘So honestly, it was quite anxiety-provoking. I knew that it was an important thing to do, that it was hopefully going to change the way TV is, change the way that children feel when they watch TV — it’s massive — but I was expecting to get a lot of hate, like [people] sliding into the DMs and saying, ‘You’re disgusting’ and that kind of thing.’
Anxious: Strictly Come Dancing’s John Whaite, 32, initially asked to dance with a female on the show as he was scared of being bombarded with hate for dancing with a male
He said: “At first, i said, “Can I put me with a straight person?” because I [believed]It was only that way that it would be accepted. About a month later, I was partnered up. [thought], actually, I want it to be Johannes; it has to be Johannes… it would be wrong for it to be anyone but Johannes.’
The baker said that he is uncomfortable with people calling him or Johannes ‘role model’ because they have people behind the scenes, from make-up artists and costume designers. He insists that they are ‘lucky’ to be able to represent our people.
Johannes recently admitted that he felt the need to change his clothes after being accosted by police.
Fear: John said: ‘I think as gay people, we have to choose the places we go to, we have to choose the people we speak to… because we have been conditioned to kind of expect hate’
During an appearance on Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch last month, the South African stressed that it is crucial it is to consider both his location and appearance when out and about.
Johannes recalled his traumatic experiences and said he no longer wears a leather jacket or cap.
He said: ‘I’m going to stop wearing a cap and a black leather jacket. Because I get stopped all of the time, they [the police] go, “Oh sorry, it’s not you.”
Johannes recently spoke out and said that he now dresses in a civilized way after being stopped by the police. He claimed that he has since ditched his leather jacket, hat, and coat in public.
Attitude’s December issue is now available
‘I’m tall, I’m black it’s important who you are and what you do and where you hang around.’
The talented dancer shared how he had to make an effort not to be stopped by police officers.
He said: ‘It’s terrible, it really is terrible, you don’t get to experience it often where I come from, that’s probably because 90 per cent of the population is black, I don’t know.
‘You travel the world and that’s always the case … I have to be careful of how I dress. That’s my reality.’ He said: “I do try and look more ‘civilised’ so to speak … It’s a reality for many people.’
Attitude’s December issue is now available.
New beginnings: John, Johannes are the show’s first ever man couple and they are dancing in the current Strictly Come Dancing series.