John Whaite may be waltzing his way across the country, but his sensational stint on Strictly Come Dancing left him feeling very emotional.
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After losing to Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice in December, the 32-year-old - who was partnered up with professional dancer Johannes Radebe - partied till 9am in a club with the injured AJ Odudu.
WATCH: John Whaite makes Giovanni Pernice suffer
Shortly afterwards, John was inconsolable – but his long-term partner Paul Atkins was on hand to support him. "I was sobbing, proper ugly crying too," he told Daily Mail's Weekend Magazine. "Paul kept having to stop at service stations to buy tissues."
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John and his partner, Johannes, 34, 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 added: "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."
© Photo: InstagramJohn and Paul got engaged in 2017
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, Chopping Block 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."
The couple had previously appeared on the cover of Attitude in 2014 where they discussed wedding plans, where they revealed they were planning a "low-key" affair.
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