Strictly Come Dancing's John Whaite has revealed that loved ones told him 'don't be too gay' when it comes to his dance moves.
The former Great British Bake Off winner is making history on this year's series as he competes alongside male professional Johannes Radebe.
It is the first ever time that a male celebrity has been paired with a male professional dancer on the BBC series, but both John and Johannes had reservations about doing so.
"I was honoured, of course, because not only had I wanted to do Strictly ever since I saw it when I was a little boy… but also, as soon as I found out, I felt a little bit anxious," John told Attitude magazine.
"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."
The 32-year-old chef, who is from Wigan, went on to say that initially he wanted to have a straight professional partner because he believed "that that would be the only way it would be accepted".
He told the publication: "I don’t want to name anyone, but there were people in my life who would say to me, 'don’t be too gay'.
"I was at a wedding once, for example, and I was dancing my little heart out, and this person said to me, 'don’t be too camp, don’t be too gay', as though it was a bad thing.
"And so, I feel like I’ve had to mute that part of me, especially when it came from somebody I love," John added.
Johannes, 34, was also concerned about him and John being the first same-sex male partnership, due to the backlash he received after dancing with fellow pro Graziano Di Prima back in 2019.
"I’ve always wanted to be a part of this, and I’ve always cheered same-sex partnerships, and I’ve done things to add to this moment, I would like to believe," Johannes told Attitude.
"But in that, there was criticism and fear and negativity that we received when I danced with Graziano, complaints and stuff like that. I didn’t want that again," he added.
This weekend John and Johannes will perform the Rumba to Sting's Shape of my Heart, and will no doubt wow the judges once again.
The full interview with John and Johannes can be seen in the December issue of Attitude magazine, which is out now.
