John Waite has been paired with Johannes Radebe on 'Strictly Come Dancing'.
John Whaite and Johannes Radebe
The former 'Great British Bake Off' winner previously revealed he'd be taking part on the show with their first ever all-male pairing and it was revealed on Saturday (18.09.21) that he'll be dancing with the South African dancer, and he couldn't be happier.
He said on the launch show: "We're gonna be fierce, we're gonna be sassy, we're gonna set that dance floor on fire!"
And judge Craig Revel Horwood views them as the frontrunners in this year's competition.
He said: "I’ve been championing this for five years and finally it has come to fruition. They look like they’re going to be a couple to beat. I really want to see them do an Argentine tango together. I think it will be absolutely fierce."
However, Craig thinks the couple will face tough competition from kids TV presenter Rhys Stephenson and his professional partner Nancy Xu.
He told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "Oh my god, I totally love him. And his dancing. He is shining on that dancefloor. He has some moves that not even the pros can do. I LOVE his dancing. He’s got it all. Really incredible. He was the standout performance for me."
'EastEnders' star Rose Ayling-Ellis has been paired with Giovanni Pernice and Craig insisted the actress being deaf won't hinder them.
He said: "There are lots of dance companies out there whose dancers are all deaf and they dance through the rhythms of the drum and bass lines. I don’t think it will disadvantage her in any way. She has great rhythm. She uses her body to tell stories."
However, the choreographer doesn't think fellow soap star Katie McGlynn - who is paired with Gorka Marquez - will fare so well.
He said: "I think she’ll find it a struggle because the personalities are huge this year. She’ll have to be careful not to fall into that pretty girl category and just rely on being gorgeous. She is going to have to fight her corner in the dancing."
And Craig warned Tom Fletcher and Amy Dowden have a lot to live up to after the singers McFly bandmate Harry Judd won the show in 2011.
He said: "I love his striking look. He has a lot to live up to because Harry Judd was one of the best male celebs we’ve ever had doing a quickstep. If he even gets half of that swing and sway he’ll be lucky. I would not want to be following in Harry’s footsteps."
Elsewhere, the launch show saw Judi Love paired with Graziano Di Prima, Ugo Monye matched with Oti Mabuse, Tilly Ramsay put with Nikita Kuzmin, Adam Peaty partnered with Katya Jones, and Dan Walker paired with Nadiya Bychkova.
Gregg Wise will dance with Karen Hauer, Sara Davies is teaming up with Aljaž Škorjanec, AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington will work together, as will Nina Wadia and Neil Jones, and Robert Webb and Dianne Buswell.
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