Strictly Come Dancing is set to welcome its first male same-sex couple and if we weren't already excited enough for this year's series to begin, we are now!
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It's been confirmed that chef and TV personality John Whaite, who won The Great British Bake Off back in 2012, will be taking to the ballroom for the upcoming 2021 series.
But which dancing pro will John be teamed with? We've done some digging and here's what we know so far ...
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The BBC has yet to confirm which professional dancer the Bake Off star will be paired with this year, although it's likely that discussions are currently underway. While viewers won't find out this year's pairings until the launch show in September, several male dancers have already voiced their interest in becoming part of the dancing contest's first-ever all-male couple.
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Back in May, Giovanni Pernice revealed that he would be interested in taking on the job while appearing on The One Show. The 30-year-old dancer, who has been part of the series since 2015, said that he would like to follow in Katya Jones' footsteps and have a same-sex dance partner in the upcoming series.
© Photo: RexGiovanni Pernice has expressed his interest in being in a same-sex Strictly partnership
"I would be definitely up for it. 150,000%," he told hosts Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas. "I think it's about time. It's 2021 and things are changing now. I think Strictly is ready to do it. Last year we did something similar with Katya and Nicola and I think they did a fantastic job."
However, according to The Sun, Johannes Radebe, 33, is also a frontrunner to be paired with a male celebrity. The South African dancer, who joined Strictly in 2018, performed a one-off, same-sex routine with fellow pro Graziano Di Prima back in 2019 and has made no secret of his hopes to dance with a male partner.
© Photo: BBCWho do you want to see John paired with?
As for who John himself would like to be paired with, he said he "couldn't pick a single one because they're all so supremely talented," but did reveal that there is something Strictly bosses will have to keep in mind. Chatting to Matt Lucas on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, he said: "Obviously I'm 6'2 so it has to be someone quite tall…"
While none of the dancers quite match John's height, those that stand at six feet and could be paired with him are Aljaž Škorjanec, Graziano Di Prima, Johannes Radebe and Neil Jones.
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It's also possible that viewers could also see John partnered with one of the new dancers joining the competition this year; among the new faces viewers will see in the line-up are former Dancing With The Stars Ireland professional Kai Widdrington, ex Let's Dance Germany pro Nikita Kuzmin and reigning South African Latin Champion Cameron Lombard.
No matter who John ends up partnered with, we can't wait for this year's competition to begin - roll on September!
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