I woke up to thousands of messages the morning after historic Strictly dance… it changed my life, says Johannes Radebe

HE’S danced his way into the hearts of the nation since first joining the cast of Strictly Come Dancing in 2018.

And it’s clear to see why he’s made such an impression in a relatively short amount of time, as we meet Johannes Radebe, 36, at London's Heaven nightclub to be taught how to dance - in heels.

Strutting over in towering stilettos, his beaming, infectious smile instantly puts you at ease.

We're reminded of an infamous group dance to Blondie, in which Johannes performed in high heeled black leather boots, during a results show in 2019, which went viral.

Johannes credits Strictly - and that performance in particular -for giving him the confidence to embrace his true identity.

“I call that evening my coming out party,” he tells us. “I thought, if nobody knows that I'm gay now, that's their issue. It's not my issue anymore. 

“I'm not carrying that shame with me anymore, and that comes from my family as well. 

“The far uncles and aunties were always asking, 'When's the baby coming?' So they now know, they may be waiting a while, and they’ve got with the programme.”

Johannes says he “woke up to thousands of messages” the morning after that show from fans telling him he was an inspiration.

It was that moment he realised the boundaries he was breaking as a black, gay man dancing in heels on primetime TV on the BBC's flagship show.

“It blew my mind, and made me so emotional,” he adds tearfully.

“But in the moment, other people did not even cross my mind. I was being selfish and doing it for myself to extinguish the shame and internalised homophobia I’d always had.

"Anybody that has ever lived through that experience will understand what I'm talking about.”

Since then Johannes has been part of some of Strictly’s most memorable performances - leading a group of fellow male pros in a drag number inspired by Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and performing a same-sex routine with fellow pro Graziano Di Prima.

He was also one half of Strictly’s first male same-sex couple in 2021, when he was partnered with former Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite.

The pair wowed audiences and came top of the leaderboard in the final, getting full marks on two out of their three dances, but lost out to eventual winners Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice.

Johannes says Strictly has always encouraged him to bring his big, flamboyant character to the show, adding: “All my life, I'd been taught to 'tone it down'.

"So to be a part of an establishment like Strictly that says, 'Do you want to take it up a notch?' has been absolutely beautiful.

“They're really forward thinking. A lot of people would call them 'woke' but I don't think so at all. They always push the envelope, and I’ve definitely grown since being on Strictly.”

Johannes grew up in the township of Zamdela in South Africa, and while his made sure he was "covered with love", school was a different story.

“I had to duck and dive,” he said previously. “School was horrid. They used to say to me, ‘Oh, sissy boy!’ If I was close by I would have been punched, which I was many times.” 

But the way the British public has embraced him has boosted his confidence.

He tells us: “You grow up thinking that there's something absolutely wrong with you, and thinking nothing of your work. 

“But there's something about being surrounded by a tribe of people that have the support for you, that give you confidence and instil confidence in you, so when you go into the world, honey, you're a different person.”

While his new-found fame is something he “never ever” expected and still struggles to comprehend, Strictly is something Johannes always had in his sights while living in South Africa.

He described the show as “the mothership,” having gone on to spark more than 60 different versions around the world.

It was seeing former Strictly pro and two-time winner Oti Mabuse on there that spurred him on to follow in her footsteps. 

He says: “That really gave this black boy confidence to say, ‘maybe I also belong'.

“This urge to get out of South Africa and come to the UK, it just grew. You can’t be something that you can’t see, that’s a fact. 

“And that felt like, for the first time, I was allowed, so to speak, to dream.”

Johannes has carried this mentality into his solo dance tours over the years. His first, Freedom, sold out at theatres all over the country last year, thanks to dazzling costumes and world class dance, incorporating his South African roots.

He's keen to make a statement; in one scene he sashays across the stage in a costume made of flags of all the nations where it’s still illegal to be gay.

And it’s clear Johannes wants to show anyone can dance, casting performers of all shapes and sizes, races and sexualities.

“We’ve changed the narrative,” he says, referencing his partnership with John. “Everybody can dance with everybody now.

“I danced with a young woman who was phenomenal [in Freedom] and deserves to be a world champ, but I feel like the reason she’s not doing it is she was told she doesn’t have a dancer’s figure.

“I’m trying to correct the wrongs here.”

He recently wrapped up his Freedom Unleashed tour - an even bigger version of his first - and has now announced House of Jojo, in which he wants to tell the stories of dancers who aren’t usually seen.

Johannes explains: “It’s still very much in its beginning stages of creating, but it’s going to be a celebration of a community of people. 

“I know that I'm special - and I say that with all the confidence in my heart because of the support that I've received from the British public - and I do feel seen now.

“But there are people still going through situations in their lives, and just wanting to be a part of the world, so I just want to help the outsiders, because I used to be one.

“I want to help the misfits, because I don't think there's enough shows out there telling the stories of certain people in the world."

And Strictly fans need not worry about Johannes becoming too big for the show and waving goodbye like Oti.

“Honey, tell the world I'm not going anywhere,” he finishes. “Never!

“I'll be a part of Strictly Come Dancing for as long as they will have me, and I'm still in it because I'm in it to win it and lift the Glitterball!"

J starts on 29 March 2024 and tours the UK until 2 June 2024.