It's been a week of revelations for former Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite, who has confessed to cheating on his fiancé Paul Atkins.
In a candid interview with The Times, the 34-year-old revealed he hasn't always been faithful to Paul where he admitted to straying after winning The Great British Bake Off in 2012.
During the chat, John claimed there were "drunken fondles and experiments with various soap stars and celebrities". At the time, he had been with Paul for five years and he "tested the boundaries" of their relationship.
John had also revealed that he "fell in love" with his dance partner Johannes Radebe while participating in the 2021 series of Strictly. He explained that he "spent some time apart" from his partner of 15 years, Paul Atkins, after the show ended.
"I fell in love with him," he shared. "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."
John went on to say that he made his feelings known to his fiancé Paul. "All the way through, me and Paul discussed it," he revealed. "Paul of all people deserved to understand how I was feeling.
© Dave J Hogan"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 his dance partner Johannes made Strictly history by becoming the first male couple to dance together competitively and make it into the final. On the positive response they received from fans, John told Daily Mail last year: "I'm emotional now, even talking about it. It wasn't just about me feeling validated, accepted, but an entire community.
"All the young queer people who had been watching, the older gay generation, the parents who want their kids to grow up in a world where they have a choice. In the same way that the deaf community felt heard and seen, so did those people. It was huge."
John rose to fame when he won the third series of The Great British Bake Off back in 2012. Since then, he has released several cookbooks and has presented on shows like Lorraine and Steph's Packed Lunch. The star also has his own cookery school, John Whaite's Kitchen Cookery School, which opened back in 2016 in Wigan.
Away from his busy work life, John has been in a relationship with graphic designer Paul since 2008. They got engaged in 2017, with John stating at the time: "My true love. We've decided to get married. We've fought for these rights, and we shall use them."
