Strictly finalist John Whaite perfectly shuts down ‘vicious and empty’ homophobic trolls
John Whaite (L) and Johannes Radebe. (BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite has hit out at anti-LGBT+ viewers who said they’d refuse to watch him in the upcoming final.
The former Great British Bake Off winner was forced to speak out after being inundated with homophobic messages. It came after Whaite and his professional partner, Johannes Radebe, became Strictly’s first same-sex couple to reach the final.
Whaite initially took to Instagram on Sunday (12 December) to celebrate the landmark moment, and later defended himself against the hateful trolls claiming that the partnership was “not natural”.
The 32-year-old wrote: “You vicious, empty people are a dying breed. You’ll be left behind as the world becomes kinder, more empathic, more loving, more tolerant, more understanding. The only grievance you should feel is your own failure to evolve.”
Tuesday (14 December) then saw the star take time to thank all those who had sent messages of love and support following his progression to the final.
“Thank you all for such heart-felt messages of kindness,” Whaite wrote. “The love has far outweighed the hate and I’ll never forget that.”
Indeed, John Whaite was flooded with well-wishes from fellow Strictly alum including the likes of Adam Peaty, Dan Walker and Denise Van Outen.
Fellow finalist Aj Odudu commented: “NOONE CAN DIM YOUR LIGHT. You are loved. Fact.”
This year’s Strictly saw John Whaite and Johannes Radebe make history as they became the first pairing made up of two men.
The pair also became Strictly’s second same-sex couple, following in the footsteps of Nicola Adams and Katya Jones last year.
The duo left viewers in tears on Saturday night (11 December) when they performed their Couple’s Choice dance to Adele’s “Hometown Glory”, which they dedicated to the LGBT+ community.
“To the people who perhaps feel a bit afraid in life, I want those people to know that it gets better,” Whaite said.
Many fans had an emotional response as one tweeted: “What a final line-up for Strictly – and John and Johannes make me bawl every time. They’re a joy and absolute beacons for the gay community. I’m so glad and proud of them.”
