BBC Strictly pro Johannes Radebe admits 'wanting to quit' after being paired with celebrity
ok.co.ukStrictly Come Dancing pro Johannes Radebe has admitted he almost quit the BBC show after discovering who his celebrity partner was.The dancer was teamed up with former British tennis star Annabel Croft in the 2023 series of the dance competition, but he had doubts about whether they were a good fit.
Johannes and Annabel made it to the semi-finals last year, but not without facing significant personal challenges. Speaking on the Table Manners podcast, the South African-born dancer shared he had lost a cousin to suicide just before the season started, while Annabel was mourning her husband Mel Coleman, who passed away from colon cancer in May.
Johannes worried that their shared grief would interfere with his own healing process and negatively affect their performance on the dance floor.
He also confessed he "didn't feel anything" and lacked enthusiasm at the start of the season. "When they said I'm dancing with her, I was like: 'What are they trying to achieve? ' And I say that because two weeks before I started, I buried my cousin who [died by] suicide," he revealed.
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