Strictly Come Dancing 2021: John Whaite teases ‘switching roles’ ahead of first dance in all-male partnership

John Whaite will be paired with one of the show’s male pro dancers (Pictures: BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing contestant John Whaite has addressed how he and his pro partner will dance alongside each other when it comes to taking to the floor together.

John is one of 15 contestants who will find out who they’re paired up with after weeks of anticipation.

It’s already been confirmed John will be dancing in a same-sex couple but with speculation over who it might be, the star has addressed some other questions fan have in the meantime.

In a recent Instagram Q&A, John was asked by a fan: ‘In formal dancing the roles often seem gendered. Will you guys be mixing it up, or how?’

‘This is a really good question. In our first dance, we are switching roles midway, which makes it fairly tricky,’ the Bake Off star responded.

‘But it’s an important life lesson that sometimes you need to lean on someone, and other times they’ll need to lean on you.

John is one of 15 celebrity contestants taking part this year (Picture: PA)

‘It’s not about gender,’ he went on to stress, ‘it’s about trust and mutuality. And I sincerely hope that those who are open to this idea will get it.’

John also chatted to host Claudia Winkleman during her Radio 2 show, teasing his partnership and the fact he was asked by show bosses to feature in the first all-male competing couple.

The class of Strictly 2021 (Picture: PA)

He said: ‘My partner – who will remain nameless – is absolutely perfect at boosting my confidence and making me believe I can be fearless and sassy and confident.

John believed this was the perfect time for him to sign-up after seeing how much of a lifeline the show acted for so many millions of people during the pandemic.

The Bake Off winner admitted: ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been ready to do it, don’t think I would have been in the best place to do it, personally, until now.

‘I think watching it last year during the pandemic when it was such an important beacon of light, we relied so heavily on last year but also needed that light entertainment to take the edge off.

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‘It made me realise that this show is so important, it’s a gateway to Christmas for a start and it brings people so much love and kindness.

‘So when I got asked to do it, I kind of said hell yes and when they said, “Would you like to dance with a bloke?” I just thought, it would be a great honour to do that because it’s just such a step forward, isn’t it?’

Strictly Come Dancing begins tonight at 7:45pm on BBC One.

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