STRICTLY Come Dancing star John Whaite has revealed he cheated on his partner as he struggled with fame after winning Bake Off.
John, 34, became a household favourite after impressing Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood back in 2012 when he was just 23 and still at university.
At the time he had been with his now fiancé Paul Atkins for five years but found himself “testing the boundaries”.
He told The Times there were “drunken fondles and experiments with various soap stars and celebrities” following his meteoric rise to fame.
John, who is now sober, admits to getting “somewhat swept away with it all”.
Elsewhere in the interview John reveals he secretly split with Paul after doing Strictly because he “fell in love” with Johannes Radebe during their time on the BBC show.
He competed with the South African dancer, 36, as part of the first-ever male same-sex pairing in 2021.
Opening up about what actually went down during his time on the show, he said: “I fell in love with him [Johannes].
“I can’t speak for him – because I’m not allowed to, legally – but it felt like there was love there.
“We had such similar stories growing up – the homophobia, the bullying, coming out, coming to terms with our sexuality – as any queer kid would.”
He then stated: “I still love Johannes. Of course I do.”
John was honest about his feelings towards Johannes to his partner Paul which resulted in them agreeing on some “time apart”.
The couple, who are now engaged, have managed to put the past behind them.
