Former Strictly star John Whaite has tied the knot with his long-term Paul Atkins in a romantic New York wedding. The Bake Off winner took to social media to share the happy news, posting several black-and-white snaps from the couple's big day, including one of the pair taking a stroll down one of the city's streets.
"Our big day in the Big Apple. Mr & Mr," John penned in the caption, before quoting a paragraph from Justice Anthony Kennedy's 2015 Supreme Court ruling that made same-sex marriage legal in the United States.
"'No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family," read the passage. "In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."
Both grooms looked dashing in black leather jackets, with John opting for a traditional Scottish kilt.
The comments were quickly inundated with messages of congratulations, including from screenwriter Russell T Davies, who penned: "Ahh congratulations," alongside a string of red heart emojis.
John's Strictly dance partner Johannes Radebe also reacted to the announcement, writing: "Massive congratulations. Xxx."
John and Johannes were partnered together in the 2021 series of the BBC dancing show, after which the celebrity baker opened up about their close friendship.
In an interview with The Times in August last year, John revealed he "fell in love" with Johannes and in the aftermath of their closeness, "spent some time apart" from his partner of 15 years, Paul.
"I fell in love with him," the 34-year-old said. "I can't speak for him – because I'm not allowed to, legally – but it felt like there was love there."
He added: "So yes, I fell in love with Johannes. I still love Johannes. Of course I do."
He went on to explain that he made his feelings known to Paul at the time. "All the way through, me and Paul discussed it," he said. "Paul of all people deserved to understand how I was feeling.
"You go through life being told that you'll fall in love with someone, you'll get married, you'll have children and that's it. But love can't just be directed to one person. The heart can easily split into two or three or four. And those loves aren't mutually exclusive."
John and Johannes were the first same-sex couple to compete on Strictly and made it through to the grand final but were beaten by actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and her partner Giovanni Pernice.