Johannes Radebe, the beloved Strictly Come Dancing professional, has opened up about his remarkable journey from homelessness to becoming one of the show's new co-hosts. The 39-year-old dancer, who has been a pro on the UK show since 2018, revealed he once slept in a dance studio and survived on baked beans while chasing his dream.
Struggling to Make Ends Meet
Radebe, who grew up in the township of Zamdela in Free State, South Africa, recalled dressing up in a 'big yellow Muppet costume' to earn money during college. 'I was eating baked beans for a week and I thought this is tough. Dad had just passed away, Mum was at home with no job and me trying to do my studies,' he said. The costume paid 12,000 Rand (£540), which he couldn't refuse, even though he feared it might harm his dance career. 'I had to make sure I didn't turn into nothing,' he added.
Announced this week as one of three co-presenters for the new series of Strictly, alongside Emma Willis, 50, and Josh Widdicombe, 43, Radebe said: 'To be returning to Strictly in this new role is beyond anything I ever imagined.'
A Tough Childhood
Growing up, life was difficult for Radebe. His mother Jacobeth raised him largely alone after his father, who worked for Coca-Cola, separated from her and died when Johannes was 12. School was a mixed experience. 'I found school both exciting and terrifying. In those days township schools operated with strict rules,' he said. Corporal punishment was common, and teachers were given permission to use a stick on misbehaving children.
Radebe, who is openly gay, was also bullied. 'I learned how cruel and unkind children can be. I was picked on and marked out as different from the beginning. I was a little bit too flamboyant,' he said. Called a 'sissy boy,' he found solace in his mother's unconditional love. 'Without using any label, Mum found a way to tell me she accepted and loved me. That was the most powerful and liberating message this little boy who played with Barbie dolls, occasionally wore his mother's heels and was bullied at school could ever hope to hear.'
Despite encouragement from teachers, other boys tormented him. 'Bullies frowned on the fact that I was a dancer. One day at secondary school they dunked my head in the toilet. I was like why? Why? I was the one who would start and end the day by ringing the bell. Every time I rang I tried to avoid being chased down that long corridor with a sword or whatever they had in their hands. There was this big rugby lad who I fancied, but he was the bully. It was hard to deal with.'
Determination to Dance
Radebe taught himself to dance by watching tapes. 'We did not have money for costumes. We did not have the proper facilities, but for me all that did not matter,' he said. At 13, he left home to live with a dance coaching couple in a Johannesburg suburb. He was determined not to give up. 'In South Africa, a lot of people can dance, but for me it was about the drag. I remember seeing beautiful costumes and we went to see a Latin ballroom class and this man had on a sequinned tailcoat and I thought whoah!'
At one point, he had no home and slept in the dance studio where he worked or in the back of taxis. His mother's words inspired him: 'If it is meant for you, you will never have to lift a finger. I have always followed that. I somehow knew I was capable and that is how I survived.'
Influences and Father
Radebe credits his dance coach as a major influence. 'He had the same charisma as Michael Jackson. He could dance your socks off. There was something magnetic when he moved his body. He was a very strong, masculine man, and he would tap into that and lose his mind. He was Michael Jackson in my eyes.'
His relationship with his father was more complicated. His father, nicknamed Fly for his soccer skills, was violent when drunk. 'When I started dancing, he thought it was a phase. When I had my first dancing competition he did not buy me dancing shoes, he bought me soccer boots,' Radebe recalled. Despite the difficulties, he said: 'I know my dad loved me and I loved him too.'
Rise to Stardom
After teaching dance in Johannesburg, Radebe spent seven years performing on cruise ships, which changed his life. In 2014, he became a pro dancer on South Africa's Strictly. 'I always thought I can dance, but I am not sure if I can do TV. I thought I was made for the stage not the box,' he said. But he progressed to the UK show in 2018 and now co-hosts. 'I knew I was on their radar when I was on Strictly in South Africa. I was like they are never going to call. But they did on my birthday in 2018. It was the best present. Strictly is the best show on television.'
Currently starring in Kinky Boots in London's West End and author of a bestselling memoir, Jojo: Finally Home, Radebe plans to open a dance academy in Johannesburg to encourage young boy dancers. He also dreams of starting a clothing line after winning the 2022 Great British Sewing Bee: Celebrity Christmas Special. For now, he is happy hosting Strictly. His advice to his younger self: 'Just be yourself Jojo. If you have a battle, you battle. I would say just be kinder to yourself and it gets better.'
