Strictly star Johannes Radebe: I’m now in a place where I can accept love
The South African dancer and John Whaite made history on Strictly Come Dancing last year as the first all-male couple.
Strictly Come Dancing star Johannes Radebe said he has never given relationships a chance but feels he is now in a place where he can “accept love”.
The professional dancer, 34, also revealed he would like to be a father at some point.
Radebe made Strictly history last year alongside Bake Off star John Whaite as the first all-male couple and finished as runners-up behind soap star Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice.
He told Hello! magazine: “I’ve never given relationships a chance.
“We can’t love someone else if we don’t love ourselves, but I’m now in a place in my own mind where I can accept love because I know how to give love.
“I’m still waiting for someone to step forward for me and know there are wonderful people out there.
“And yes, I’d like children one day. Parenthood is a huge responsibility I’d like to share.”
The South African dancer joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, having previously been on South Africa’s version of Strictly and Dancing with the Stars.
However, Radebe revealed that he considered giving up his “beautiful life” in the UK and returning home at one stage due to a number of family deaths causing him to feel lost.
He explained: “Three members of my family had died. I felt lost and wanted to be there for my mum and the others.
“I was living a beautiful life in the UK but started to question what was more important. My career had taken me away from my family for years and I felt guilty. It still bothers me to this day.
“I live alone and don’t have a partner. So, I thought by going home I could lead a simpler life around people I love.”
The dancer said that his supportive late Aunt Martha, who died of Covid-19 last year, influenced his decision to stay.
“She told me I was highly favoured, not because of what I do on the dancefloor but because my purpose is about extending myself to help others”, he said.
Radebe has been travelling around the UK over the past month with Whaite as part of the star-studded line-up for the Strictly Come Dancing tour.
The dancer is also preparing to tell his life story in his upcoming solo UK tour titled Johannes Radebe: Freedom.
Reflecting on his life in the UK, he said: “It’s amazing to be in a country where, as I walk down the street, I’m greeted and appreciated.
“There’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be, and I’ve never felt such freedom.”
Read the full article in Hello! magazine out now.
