John Whaite to be Strictly Come Dancing first all male partnership

Strictly Come Dancing announces its first ever all-male partnership, as TV chef John Whaite joins the line-up.

Last year, boxer Nicola Adams became the first celebrity in the show’s history to have a same sex partner. She unfortunately had to exit the competition early due to Covid.

Whaite first shot to fame after winning The Great British Bake Off in 2012. He describes his new dancing partnership as “a great step forward in representation and inclusion”.

Other celebrities announced so far for the 2021 series include musician Tom Fletcher, presenter AJ Odudu and comedian/actor Robert Webb.

Speaking on the radio, Whaite commented on how much of “an honour” it is to take part, saying he “bit their hand off” when asked if he was interested.

Setting a bar

He is proud to represent the LGBTQ+ community in this way. But he also thinks seeing two men or two women dancing together is “about intimacy and respect”, and “not necessarily about sexuality”. We live in a society where men are conditioned to not open up and show emotion. Whaite believes that a same sex dance pairing on TV is a “great thing in our culture”, and could help to combat that issue.

As a child, seeing same sex partnerships on television is the kind of thing he never dreamed possible. Whaite now hopes that children “watch this and see it and it becomes normal for them”. That way “they don’t have to grow up in shame” or “worrying about who they are”. He hopes it “kind of sets a bar for kids to think, I am who I am, and I’m proud of that”.

Being part of the first all male partnership is exciting for Whaite, who says it hasn’t quite sunk in yet. Now he will have to wait and see who he will be dancing with.

15 stars in total will battle it out on the dancefloor when the hit show returns this autumn. The 19th series is expected to air for the normal length, following a shorter run last due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, Bruno Tonioli is replaced on the judging panel this year by long-serving professional dancer Anton Du Beke. And four new professionals were recently revealed as joining the Strictly team.

Who are the 2021 contestants?

John Whaite is a chef, TV presenter and cookery author who won the third series of The Great British Bake Off.

Whaite says, “I’m so grateful, excited, and nervous to be joining the Strictly 2021 family”. “I’ve been wearing sequins and jazzy attire since I was three years old and can’t wait to hurl myself, full throttle, around the most glamorous dance floor on Earth”.

Tom Fletcher is a singer and guitarist with popular music group McFly. He follows in the footsteps of bandmate Harry Judd who lifted the glitterball trophy ten years ago.

He says he is “incredibly excited” but “totally terrified” to do Strictly. His kids were excited too until he showed them his dancing. He adds, “I’m not sure how far they’ll get me in the competition but I can’t wait to add some new moves to my embarrassing dad-dancing repertoire”.

Presenter AJ Odudu rose to fame in 2013 after hosting Big Brother’s Bit on the Side, and has appeared on numerous shows since.

She is “beyond chuffed” to take part. She loves the show, and is “fully committed to making the most of every second of the Strictly experience”. “Bring it on!”

Comic actor Robert Webb is most famous for his double act with David Mitchell in TV shows like Peep Show. Previous dancing credits include winning Let’s Dance For Comic Relief in 2009.

On joining the show, he says, “It’s a big, generous, joyful show and I can’t wait to get packed into a spandex onesie and fired from a glitter cannon directly at Claudia Winkleman”.

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