Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant John Whaite has revealed that he "fell in love" with his dance partner Johannes Radebe while participating in the 2021 series.
In a new interview with The Times, The Great British Bake Off winner 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," 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 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.
"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 placed second in the competition and after the show ended, the baker and Paul temporarily "spent some time apart", which John said he spent "sat on the patio, drinking bottle after bottle of sauvignon blanc".
The couple eventually reunited, with the chef explaining: "I look at Paul and what he's put up with over the years and how he’s nurtured me and stood by me, and who would throw that away? I couldn't."
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He went on to say that he occasionally speaks to Johannes but is "mindful that there's more than my own desires to consider here".
"If it would be tricky for Paul for me to be in contact with Johannes, then it's a sacrifice that I have to make," he said.
The 'Strictly curse' is founded upon the idea that a celebrity contestant's relationship is threatened by the close bond they establish with their dance partner when they sign onto the show.
Presenter Claudia Winkleman, who hosts the BBC programme alongside Tess Daly, has previously spoken out on the 'curse' and is skeptical of its existence.
"I understand [the pressure], it's very intense," she told Digital Spy. "I don't believe in the curse, but I think lots of people have come in single and they might have met somebody or had a little romance.
"It's intoxicating, Strictly, because you're all part of this extraordinary juggernaut. So I don't think people fall in love with people, they might just love the experience."
One of the most prominent cases of the 'Strictly curse' in recent years occurred back in 2018 when comedian Seann Walsh was photographed kissing his dance partner Katya Jones, despite him being in a relationship. Seann's career and mental health were impacted by the scandal. "The first three weeks, it was the best three weeks of my life," he said on Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast in 2019. "I was having the time of my life… And then it all went very, very wrong."