Strictly fans were in tears when John Whaite revealed he was bullied at school
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It Takes Two fans in tears as John Whaite thanks bullies to ‘fuel’ his performance

He's reclaimed the phrase 'chase me through the forest'

It Takes Two fans were in tears last night (October 21) as Strictly star John Whaite opened up about his experiences with bullying.

The former Bake Off star, 32, is dazzling fans on Strictly thanks to his partnership with Johannes Radebe.

Strictly fans were in tears when John Whaite revealed he was bullied at school
John revealed the meaning of the ‘chase me through the forest’ phrase (Credit: BBC)

What happened with Strictly star John Whaite last night?

John appeared on the show with his dance partner last night, and he spoke about loving his time on the Strictly dance floor.

However, conversation soon turned to his past.

Read more: Strictly star John Whaite reveals reason behind his ‘hidden’ comment on Saturday’s show

Host Janette Manrara asked John what the meaning of the phrase “chase me through the forest” – which John said to Johannes in their dance last week.

He then opened up about the bullying he experienced in his past.

Strictly fans were in tears when John Whaite revealed he was bullied at school
Fans were emotional when they heard John’s story (Credit: BBC)

“Thank you!”

John said: “When I was at school, I was bullied quite a bit for being gay.

“One of the guys… I won’t mention his name because I don’t want to say his name… he used to say to me in a really soft voice, ‘oh come on John, chase me through the forest’.

He added: “So when we did that move, I thought do you know what, I’m gonna use that.

“I’m going to use that to our advantage, as fuel.

“I’m going to say thank you. Thank you for giving me that phrase to say.”

“Amen to that!” Janette said.

https://twitter.com/uisgebeatha/status/1451243938833178634

How did viewers react to John’s revelation?

Viewers were emotional as they watched the interview, and took to Twitter to show their support.

One said: “John reclaiming that phrase from a bully. There’s something in my eye. #ItTakesTwo #itt.”

Read more: Strictly fans angry Judi Love will take a ‘better dancer’s place’ next week

Another wrote: “‘Chase me through the forest’… [teary-eye-emoji and heart-cuddle-emoji] As if you couldn’t love John Whaite MORE! And @jojo_radebe.”

Finally, a third commented: “Awwww John said ‘chase me through the forest’ during his American Smooth to get back at someone who bullied him for being gay.

“That’s amazing. [teary-face emoji, clap emoji, red-heart emoji].”

John Whaite and Johannes Radebe Tango to Blue Monday by New Order ✨ BBC Strictly 2021

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor