Strictly Come Dancing pro Johannes Radebe joined the series back in 2018.
When Strictly Come Dancing returns for the 19th series later this year, there’ll be four new faces in the Strictly Come Dancing professionals.
Kai Widdrington, Nikita Kuzmin, Cameron Lombard and Jowita Przystal were recently confirmed to be joining the show, following Janette Manrara’s new role as the host of Strictly’s It Takes Two, and Anton Du Beke’s move to the judging panel.
And while this might mean more competition amongst the pros, Johannes Radebe – who joined the BBC One dance show back in 2018 after appearing on the South African version – isn’t worried about a thing.
In fact, he thinks the new pros should rather be “watching out” for him.
When RadioTimes.com catches up with him for a chat ahead of the new series, he smiles: “‘I’m not watching out for any of them, but I hope they are watching out for me!”
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He continues: “These are people who have worked in the industry for many years. I know of them and some of them happen to be my best of friends. I love the fact that the’ve got my homeboy Cameron from South Africa. And yes, I can’t wait to meet Nikita. Kai and Jowita, those are my friends. Those are my buddies from many moons, so I’m ecstatic that they’ve joined the show because they’ve always wanted to.
“You can’t help but be excited for anybody that joins the show because of what it stands for for our careers, and the platform that it creates for all of us. For anybody to be presented with that opportunity, you’re just like, ‘I’m thrilled for you!’ because you know what it’s going to mean for them and their families. So, before any competition, we are a huge family.”
Although he insists the competition is secondary to the bond the pros have, Radebe is hoping to lift the Glitterball this year, and says he “won’t leave it to chance.”
“That [winning] is a dream still to be realised,” he explains. “I have done Strictly Come Dancing in South Africa and I’ve come to the mothership in the United Kingdom, and in all these years I’ve been doing it, I have never had the opportunity to lift the Glitterball. If it does come my way it will be very welcomed, I’m telling you. Honestly, I’m going to work very hard towards it as well. I’m just not going to leave it to chance, but it would be an amazing achievement for me and mostly if I could do it for my celebrity partner, that would be a bonus!”
Strictly is expected to return to the BBC in Autumn 2021. Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub for the latest news.