Strictly viewers moved to ‘tears’ over ‘spellbinding’ rumba from Johannes Radebe and John Whaite
Johannes Radebe and John Whaite danced to Sting’s “Shape of my Heart”. (BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing viewers were moved to “tears” on Saturday (6 November), after a “spellbinding” and sensual rumba from Johannes Radebe and John Whaite.
The show’s first-ever male same-sex dance partners performed the rumba to “Shape of My Heart” by Sting, and came in third, scoring 35 points out of a possible 40.
Viewers were overwhelmed with emotion after the performance, and many revealed that they had broken down in tears.
One wrote: “In tears watching Johannes and John. I bloomin’ hate the rhumba but the fact that two gay men are dancing this together on prime time Saturday night BBC is everything.”
Lib Dem councillor Mathew Hulbert added: “Tears. Couldn’t take my eyes off John and Johannes during that dance. Beautiful.
“They may not know just how much seeing them dance together means to so many.”
In tears watching Johannes & John. I bloomin' hate the rhumba but the fact that 2 gay men are dancing this together on prime time Saturday night BBC is everything #strictly
— Revd Fiona Jenkinson????️??️⚧️ (@RevdSister) November 6, 2021
Absolutely spellbinding Rumba – just so beautiful, it made me cry ??— Hayley Douglas (@WLA1_HSteps) November 6, 2021
*tears*
Couldn't take my eyes off John and Johannes during that dance.
Beautiful.
They may not know just how much seeing them dance together means to so many. x #Strictly #BBCOne— Cllr Mathew Hulbert ?️ ?️? (@MathewHulbert) November 6, 2021
Am I still sobbing over these three seconds from John and Johannes’ rumba? Yes, yes I am #Strictly pic.twitter.com/MLp7yQC0JM— katie ?? they/them (@katiieproctor) November 6, 2021
While Whaite and Radebe having been blowing fans away since they first stepped onto the Strictly dance floor in September, many declared that the rumba was their best performance yet because of its sensuality and raw emotion.
“A wonderful Rumba from John and Johannes,” one Twitter user wrote.
“A piece of history has been made. The first all male slow sexual dance on Strictly. The Rumba is so hard for the male celeb but I think John did so well.
“Great hip action and content. I was raw vulnerable and emotional to watch.”
I think it is so important. The gentle, sensuality of the dance was incredible and the holding hands at the end was absolutely perfect, very symbolic I thought.
— Mrs Raine. The office lady. (@raine_mrs) November 6, 2021
Another said that it was first time he and his husband “have ever seen two men dance sensually on TV”, and added: “I don’t know if straight people can understand how important that is to us, and to every queer kid.”
John Whaite was ‘so anxious’ about same-sex Strictly pairing with Johannes Radebe
John Whaite recently revealed he was “anxious” about his same-sex Strictly Come Dancing pairing, initially asking producers to match him with a straight professional instead of gay dancer Johannes Radebe.
Fronting the December issue of Attitude magazine, the Great British Bake Off star said: “I was quite anxious about it. 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.”
Whaite pleaded Strictly producers to set him up with a straight male professional dancer instead of a queer one as he felt it was “the only way it would be accepted”.
But just a month before the celebs were to be partnered, “I [thought], actually, I want it to be [Johannes Radebe]; it has to be Johannes… it would be wrong for it to be anyone but Johannes.”
