Strictly Come Dancing co-host Johannes Radebe has revealed the emotional reason he was reduced to tears during rehearsals for the new series. The dancer, who first joined the BBC One show as a professional in 2018, has swapped the dance floor for the studio this year, taking on one of three new hosting roles.
Radebe now presents the programme alongside Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe, following the departure of previous hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly last year.
Emotional confession on It Takes Two
On Thursday, October 1, Radebe appeared on It Takes Two, where he admitted that rehearsals for the live show had taken an unexpectedly emotional turn. New It Takes Two host Ellie Taylor asked whether it was strange being back in the ballroom without dancing.
Radebe responded: "It was. I did cry, didn't I? In rehearsals. I think seeing them all come down in their outfits, knowing what they're dancing, that weekend, what they had to go through in the past two weeks."
He continued: "I was just like, oh... I missed that, but I've got partners with me. So it's fine."
Viewer concerns over new presenting line-up
Discussing the contestants' week one performances, Radebe said: "I watched the competition, and I wanted to be on the floor enjoying them, but I have to say, there are so many surprises. There are people that came out, and I said, I thought to myself, I didn't expect you to be doing this. You know, it'd be one, but across the board, we are in for a real treat this year."
His comments follow concerns from Strictly fans about the new presenting arrangement, with some saying it "doesn't work". One viewer observed: "The overwhelming view seems to be that Emma is perfect and should host downstairs alone, and Josh should be moved upstairs as he's way more of a comedic, light-hearted chat sort of host. But where does that leave Johannes."
Another remarked: "This is a disaster @bbcstrictly. Josh and Johannes are not working at all. Not one bit. Johannes talking while they're coming up the stairs? You're going to lose long-time viewers rapidly."
A different fan suggested the roles could be rotated weekly, writing: "I'm curious to see if they might 'Rotate or alternate' the roles in a similar style to the launch show. It's only Week 1 so there's time to make changes and it feels very 'trial and error' right now."
Strictly Come Dancing airs every weekend on BBC One and iPlayer.
