Beloved Strictly Come Dancing professional Johannes Radebe has responded to fears that he’s already quit the show.
Johannes joined the Strictly pro lineup in 2018 and has since been part of plenty of historic moments, including the first-ever male same-sex pairing with John Whaite in 2021.
The 38-year-old has also danced with Annabel Croft, Montell Douglas, and, in the most recent series, Alex Kingston.
But when Johannes and the Doctor Who actress were voted out in sixth place, viewers were convinced his emotional elimination speech was actually a cryptic goodbye.
Now, he’s putting all those rumours to bed.
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Appearing on The Graham Norton Show last night alongside Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, the South African choreographer was quizzed on his future on the BBC show.
‘I’ve got to ask you while you’re here, Johannes; a lot of Strictly fans, myself included, are a bit worried,’ Irish broadcasting legend Graham began.
‘You were very boo-hoo when you said goodbye to Alex Kingston on Strictly. Is that the end? Are you not coming back to Strictly?’
Dressed in a stunning pink suit, Johannes replied nonchalantly: ‘Was I boo-hoo?’
‘Yes! You were sobbing,’ Graham reminded him.
‘Graham, I will do that show for as long as they will have me,’ the star then assured him.
‘I promise, I will. That is a magical, sparkling world. I love it.’
‘You’ll be there a long time, I think,’ Graham added, before attempting to catch Johannes out by asking him to reveal the identities of the new hosts.
‘Now, you know I do not know!’, Johannes laughed, after which fellow guest Amanda Seyfried urged him to ‘make it up’.
‘Well, I’m one of them!’, Johannes quipped as speculation rages over who will take Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s place next series. Current frontrunners include Zoe Ball, Bradley Walsh, and Alex Jones.
We currently have no idea when the BBC will announce Tess and Claud’s successors, but for now, viewers are likely just to be relieved that one of their fave pros isn’t bowing out after all.
Rumours began swirling that Johannes was bidding goodbye to the iconic ballroom after he grew incredibly emotional in his 2025 exit.
Heaping praise on his celeb partner, he began: ‘Thank you, because I have never grinned this much in my life, for the past couple of weeks with you. Thank you, Alex, for being a trooper.
‘I appreciate the laughs, and I’ll hold onto the memories, but as far as the dancing goes, I think we’ve achieved what we both wanted to achieve.’
Alex chimed in: ‘These memories are just the beginning for us’, to which Johannes replied: ‘You can say that again.’
‘But to my Strictly family, I love you,’ he continued, looking around the ballroom at the judges, Tess, and his fellow stars.
‘I’m forever grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you.’
It didn’t take long for fans to flood X with worried tweets, believing Johannes was making out like it was his ‘final year’, leaving everyone ‘very sad’.
Thankfully, it seems we had no cause for concern after all, although the pro dancer lineup is only officially confirmed by the Beeb in August, ahead of the new series kicking off in autumn.
In the interim, Johannes is taking to the stage with Kinky Boots, having made his theatre debut as Lola in the hit musical’s UK tour last year.
He’ll reprise the role in March when the production transfers to the London Coliseum, having already been forced to shut down ‘lies’ once before that his involvement means he’d no longer have time for Strictly commitments.
In November 2024, he stated via Instagram that he was ‘going nowhere’, reiterating his comments from Graham Norton by adding: ‘I love @bbcstrictly and I want to do this beautiful show for as long as they want me – and the body will allow.’
‘Nothing will take me away,’ he declared, despite his flurry of extra career opportunities.
The 2025 series of Strictly was won by former Lioness Karen Carney and her pro partner Carlos Gu.
Currently, a bunch of contestants are performing around the country for the Live Tour, for which the lineup includes Lewis Cope, La Voix, Ellie Goldstein, George Clarke, and more.
Meanwhile, Strictly bosses are hard at work casting the next presenting duo and are said to have 10 names on their shortlist.
These include Zoe, Bradley, and Alex, as well as Rylan Clark, Rob Rinder, Holly Willoughby, Amanda Holden, and Alison Hammond.
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