Johannes Radebe is fast becoming our favourite of the Strictly Come Dancing professionals.
Believe it or not, he’s only been on the show for three years. But in that time he’s waltzed his way right into the hearts of the nation.
Fun, flirty and fabulous, we can’t wait to see who Johannes is partnered with this year.
Strictly Come Dancing professionals: Who is Johannes Radebe?
Johannes, 34, is a South African professional dancer who joined the Strictly cast in 2018.
He wasn’t allocated a celebrity partner in his first year. However, 2019 saw him partnered with Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley.
Then, in 2020, he danced up a storm with Caroline Quentin, with the pair finishing in eighth place.
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Before joining Strictly, Johannes danced on the South African version of the show, Dancing With the Stars.
No stranger to Glitter Ball glory, he twice reached the final of the show.
Before his TV dance career Johannes was part of the Afro Arimba Dance Company, as well as being a two-time Professional South African Latin Champion and three-time South African Amateur Latin Champion.
Upon joining Strictly, he said: “Joining Strictly Come Dancing is one of the greatest achievements of my dancing career.
“It is such an honour to be chosen to be a part of an incredible cast and be part of one of the biggest shows that is celebrated worldwide.”
Who is Johannes dating?
Johannes keeps his private life just that – private. So we don’t know if he is seeing anyone.
He has spoken about how dance helped him come out, though, and commented that the dance studio was his “refuge” when he was bullied about his sexuality.
Writing in Metro, he said: “As a young boy in South Africa, my family clearly knew I was ‘special’ – in the best way possible – but they never acted like there was anything different about me.
“I am grateful they never imposed ideas about sexuality on me – be that straight or gay – and I was allowed to just be a child.”
He added that dance has given him “the most beautiful journey” and he’s now part of a team where everyone gets him.
“While I witnessed homophobia in the outside world and experienced bullying, my home and the dance studio were my refuge. It was a safe haven where I could just be me,” he said.
Johannes’ favourite Strictly Come Dancing performances
He added that he “couldn’t have been happier” to be the face of the first same-sex professionals dance on Strictly alongside Graziano di Prima.
Before that, he performed in drag alongside Gorka Marquez and Giovanni Pernice as part of a tribute to Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
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“Since that dance in heels, I’ve gone on to perform the show’s first same-sex partner dance with Graziano – which was so special and I couldn’t have been happier to be the face of it,” he said.
“Then Nicola and Katya did us all proud when they were paired up in the most recent series.”
So will 2021 see Johannes paired with master baker John Whaite to form the show’s first-ever make same-sex couple?
The celebrity pairings are due to be revealed next month…
What else has Johannes been on?
If you switched on your telly a couple of Saturdays ago you’d have seen Johannes on Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel.
And, while his general knowledge was a little on the shoddy side, his sparkling personality shone through.
In fact, some viewers even tweeted the BBC insisting that Johannes gets his own show.
For now, though, fans will be able to see if he can cook as well as he dances because he’s joined the cast of Celebrity MasterChef 2021.
Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and tell us if you’ll be cheering on Johannes this year.