John Whaite will make Strictly history in first ever all-male couple
The former Bake Off winner has been confirmed for the show
Last updated 5th Aug 2021
Following the news that Tom Fletcher, Robert Webb and AJ Odudu will be taking part in the 2021 series of Strictly Come Dancing, bosses have this morning (Thursday 5th August) unveiled another famous face, in the form of celebrity baker John Whaite!
John, who won the third series of The Great British Bake Off back in 2012, was unveiled on social media this morning, with a tweet from the official Strictly account reading: 'From rum baba to the Rumba, all rise for star baker and now future #Strictly star John Whaite! đź•ş'. (sic)
Speaking about his appointment on the show, John confirmed he's set to make Strictly history by being one half of the first ever all-male partnership.
He said: “I’m so grateful, excited, and nervous to be joining the Strictly 2021 family. I’ve been wearing sequins and jazzy attire since I was three years old and can’t wait to hurl myself, full throttle, around the most glamorous dance floor on earth.
"What’s more exciting for me, is that I’m going to be one half of the first all-male partnership, which is a great step forward in representation and inclusion. Whoever it is I’m paired with, I hope they are up for a challenge as I want our routines to include lots of spectacular lifts!”
Although it's not yet been confirmed which professional dancer will be paired with John, this year's professionals were revealed earlier in the year, with four new faces joining the line-up.
Check out all of the confirmed professional dancers below:
Kai Widdrington
Cameron Lombard
Nikita Kuzmin
Jowita Przystal
Amy Dowden
Dianne Buswell
Dianne was a professional on the Australian version of Strictly Come Dancing before she joined the UK cast in 2017. In 2023, she made it to the final with Bobby Brazier.
Giovanni Pernice
Italian Champion Giovanni Pernice is the longest-serving male professional on the current line-up of Strictly pros, having joined the show in 2015. He lifted the Glitterball with actress Rose Ayling-Ellis back in 2021 and was most recently paired with presenter Richie Anderson.
Gorka Marquez
Gorka joined the show in 2016 and has danced in three finals. In 2023 he was paired with Nikita Kanda.
Johannes Radebe
Karen Hauer
Katya Jones
Graziano Di Prima
Luba Mushtuk
Nadiya Bychkova
Nancy Xu
Neil Jones
Carlos Gu
Michelle Tsiakkas
Vito Coppola
Lauren Oakley
2020 saw Strictly bosses move away from the more traditional male/female partnerships, following in the footsteps of Dancing On Ice by having the first ever all-female couple involving Nicola Adams and Katya Jones.
Although Nicola and Katya's journey was cut short due to Covid reasons, viewers were over the moon to see the pairing.
Meanwhile, in other Strictly news, bosses started to unveil this year's celebrities during Wednesday night's episode of The One Show, with Tom Fletcher, Robert Webb and AJ Odudu all being revealed.
Now read:
Strictly Come Dancing 2020: Everything you need to know
Shirley Ballas teases amazing line-up of celebs for Strictly 2021
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