Johannes Radebe has become a firm favourite amongst Strictly Come Dancing viewers over the seven years he has been a part of the BBC Saturday night favourite. The TV star, 39, who initially served as a professional on the South African version of the show before competing on Dancing with the Stars in the US, has danced with Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley, Bake Off contestant John Whaite and tennis icon Annabel Croft amongst a host of others.
Last year, he competed with Doctor Who star Alex Kingston and, amid the series, the nation was left shocked when long-standing hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced they would be stepping down after more than a decade of overseeing all the action together.
Just who will take the top jobs in their place remains in question and, almost as soon as the news broke, numerous telly favourites like Holly Willoughby, Alison Hammond, both of This Morning fame, as well as X Factor’s Rylan Clark, Celebrity Traitors winner Alan Carr and The One Show’s Angela Scanlon all rumoured to be in the mix.
View 4 ImagesLast year, he competed with Doctor Who actress Alex Kingston on Strictly (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Kieron McCarron)
It was recently reported that Emma Willis, who is known for having fronted Big Brother and, more recently, Love is Blind on Netflix, had been chosen – but this is yet to be confirmed. A source said: “Emma has been offered the Strictly job and is going to accept. She absolutely nailed the chemistry tests and the BBC adore her. Emma is a household name and a safe pair of hands so the BBC know she will do the job justice.”
It was then that BBC radio star Zoe Ball revealed that she was working through “stages of grief and rejection” as she came to terms with the fact she had lost out on the job. It them emerged that Johannes, whose nickname is JoJo, left bosses with no other option but to sign him up after the recent auditions to replace Tess and Claudia.
A source told The Sun : “During the chemistry tests he was paired up with every other celeb and did incredibly well. They all think he would be the perfect partner for Emma.”
A source went on to explain that while the professional dancers have already been announced, including Johannes, that doesn’t mean he won’t get the promotion. His role, according to sources, is currently being figured out after bosses were said to be considering bringing in three new people.
This may have come as a surprise to some fans, especially as Johannes was announced as one of the stars set to return to the ballroom as a professional, along Dianne Buswell, Julian Caillon, Amy Dowden, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley and Vito Coppola.
4View 4 ImagesJohannes recently said he would stay on Strictly for as long as bosses wanted him(Image: PA)
4View 4 ImagesHe is currently starring as drag queen Lola in the West End musical Kinky Boots (Image: Getty Images)
During a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Johannes was pressed on his Strictly Come Dancing future amid the rest of his showbiz career.
He said: “I will do that show for as long as they will have me. I promise I will. It’s a It’s a magical sparkling world. I love it.” Graham then jokingly asked Johannes if he could reveal the new hosts, and he laughed: “Now you know I do not know! I’m keen though!” He then quipped: “Well, I’m one of them,” before clarifying: “No, we do not know.”
Further explaining his enthusiasm for the show, he told Big Issue: “I pinch myself every day, because life has flipped [since joining Strictly]. It did a 360 on me. I know what it is to be low, and I know now what it is to feel like everything is amazing!”
Away from Strictly Come Dancing, Johannes has appeared on Celebrity MasterChef, RuPaul’s Drag Race and even appeared alongside Strictly judge Shirley Ballas in an episode of Doctor Who. In 2023, he published his memoir Jojo: Finally Home, which is being developed into a musical film.
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Throughout much of 2025, Johannes embarked in the leading role of drag queen Lola in Kinky Boots, Cyndi Lauper’s Tony Award-winning musical based on the 2005 film that follows a struggling shoe factory whose boss finds a gap in the market by creating footwear for men who dress as women.
Since March 2026, Johannes has been playing the role at the London Coliseum, making his West End debut in the process and starring opposite X Factor winner Matt Cardle. Explaining that the role leaves little time for anything else, including a love life, he told the i newspaper: “I live at the Coliseum while I’m in Kinky Boots, And when that finishes, Strictly will come around again, so I think I’m just too busy!”
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