Johannes Radebe reveals Strictly has helped him be more 'accepting of himself' after he was bullied for being gay while living in South Africa
Strictly Come Dancing professional Johannes Radebe has revealed that being on the show has made him 'a better person and accepting' of himself.
The star, 32, who was voted off the hit series with partner Catherine Tyldesley on Sunday night, explained how he was bullied in South Africa for being gay.
He told the Sun that after being chosen for Strictly's first same-sex duet which will happen next week he now has the confidence to speak about his sexuality.
Accepting: Strictly Come Dancing's Johannes Radebe, 32, has revealed being on the show has made him 'a better person and accepting' of himself after growing up in South Africa where homosexuality was frowned upon
Johannes, who grew up in the township of Zamdela, near Johannesburg, explained that although homosexuality was frowned upon, he's always been himself.
He said: 'I've always known. I've always been proud. I've always been myself, regardless of what was said to me and where I come from.
'The society around me pointed to me and said, 'There's something wrong with you' but Strictly has helped me be a better person and accepting of myself.'
Last dance: The professional and his partner Catherine Tyldesley were voted off the show on Sunday night after performing their Cha Cha once again at the end of Halloween Week
Johannes revealed that he was bullied from an early age and would be called 'sissy boy' but things escalated when we was attacked with a baseball bat at 17.
He told the publication that while at school another student called him a 'f****t and 'disgusting' and the pair ended up fighting.
Although his teenage years were difficult, Johannes said his family helped him through and in particular his mother Jacobeth, 60.
He said: 'The bullying was tough. There were times when I did not feel like leaving the house because I thought to myself, 'What's the point if I'm going be hassled?''
Sad: Johannes made an emotional farewell speech following his first series with a celebrity dance partner
The star also said that his father, who died in 2001, was accepting of him and his passion for dancing after buying him ballroom shoes when he was 13.
Next week Johannes is set to take to the floor with his friend and fellow pro Graziano Di Prima during the results show on 3rd November to Emeli Sande's song Shine.
Sicilian-born dancer Graziano, who does not have a celebrity partner on the current series of the show, was partnered with radio DJ Vick Hope last year.
While Johannes, who reached the final of Strictly Come Dancing South Africa twice before coming to the UK, was paired with soapstar Catherine Tyldesley.
Bottom two: Catherine and Johannes were eliminated after a dance-off against Mike Bushell and Katya Jones and the actress later shared a tribute on Instagram to her supportive partner
Graziano and Johannes are good friends after both starting the show at the same time and getting to grips with the Strictly lifestyle together.
Strictly has featured same sex pairings before in the group numbers, but not a complete routine with only two people.
Talking about the upcoming dance Johannes said he is 'absolutely' proud to be involved in the moment and 'happy to be a trailblazer.'
Johannes was voted off the BBC show this week with Catherine, becoming the fifth pair to be eliminated following a dance-off against Mike Bushell.
'This man is a gift to the world': An emotional Catherine praised Johannes for giving her 'confidence, belief, love and laughter beyond words' while they were performing together
They were made to perform their Cha Cha once again at the end of Halloween Week, after scraping the bottom of the leaderboard with a score of 24 out of a possible 40.
However, after judge Shirley Ballas, 59, cast the deciding vote that sent them home, Catherine remained positive, as she said of Johannes: 'He's like my best friend… Just the opportunity to work with amazing people and get critiqued off amazing people.
'I never thought I'd say this, I'm going to keep it up because I fell in love with it! I've loved every second, this man has changed my life!'
Next week: On November 3 Graziano Di Prima, 25, (left) and Johannes are set to perform the show's first same sex duet dance to Emeli Sande's song Shine
Both Catherine and Johannes then posted a touching black and white photograph of them crying together on their Instagram accounts.
Catherine wrote a lengthy post to accompany this image praising her partner for his support throughout the show.
She said: 'What Johannes gave me was priceless. Confidence, belief, love- and laughter beyond words!
'This man is a gift to the world. If there were more people like him the world would be spectacular (with shed loads of sas!)'.
First: Next Sunday's performance will be the first time two men have danced an entire routine together on the show. Johannes and Graziano are pictured with Luba Mushtuk, middle, in 2018
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