Johannes Radebe supported by Strictly co-stars after ‘unrecognisable’ appearance away from ballroom
It comes as the professional dancer take part in the BBC One dance contest alongside actress Alex Kingston
Strictly Come Dancing star Johannes Radebe(Image: ITV)
Johannes Radebe has been flooded with support from his Strictly Come Dancing co-stars as he made an ‘unrecognisable’ appearance away from the famous ballroom.
The professional dancer returned to the hit show earlier this year and is currently competing in the BBC One dance contest alongside actress Alex Kingston, with the pair set to be seen taking part in the show’s upcoming Blackpool special on Saturday (November 222).
Alex and Johannes sealed their place in week nine of the competition following their latest live performance on Saturday night (November 15) which saw them earn 35 points for their waltz to Barry Manilow’s Weekend In New England.
It was on Sunday (November 16) during the latest results show that Alex and Johannes were confirmed to have made it through to Blackpool this Saturday (November 22) as the remaining couples perform in the famous Tower Ballroom, where they’ll do a couple’s choice routine to History Repeating and Look At Me by Propellerheads.
Talking about what fans can expect during an appearance on Strictly spin-off It Takes Two on Tuesday (November 19), Johannes said: “With Matt [Flint], you must trust movement but he’s going down the jazz route and what he’s done is play to Alex’s strengths and it’s lovely to work with someone who’s done their homework.”
But ahead of heading up to Blackpool, Johannes was seen making an appearance at the Royal Variety Performance. The BBC star was among the performers on the night as he rejoined the cast of Kinky Boots ahead of his return to the role of drag performer Lola next year.
Fans will be aware that earlier this year, Johannes was seen dazzling audiences up and down the country in the hit musical, in which he takes on the lead role of drag queen Lola, which he was described as being ‘born to play’ in a glittering four-star review from the M.E.N.
Johannes hit the Royal Variety Performance red carpet(Image: PA)
It was then in July that it was revealed that Johannes is set to make his musical theatre debut in the West End as it was announced that he’ll be taking on the role of Lola again next March for a limited time only. The spectacular show will strut its way into the London Coliseum from March 17 to July 11, 2026, with a week of previews at Curve, Leicester from March 3.
But first, the Royal Variety Performance 2025, which is this year hosted by Jason Manford, saw Johannes reprise the role of Lola in front of none other that the Prince and Princess of Wales as it took place on Wednesday night (November 19) ahead of airing on ITV in December.
Ahead of the main show at the Royal Albert Hall, Johannes was seen hitting the red carpet and looked utterly fabulous in a sparkling red dress and, of course, a pair of knee-high boots. Alongside the pictures, Kinky Boots wrote on Instagram: “Hey, @RoyalVarietyPerformance! @JohannesRadebe is here to RAISE YOU UP!!!”
And the comments quickly came flooding in. Fellow Strictly pro Vito Coppola cheered: “Oh YES [red heart emoji].” Nikita Kuzmin commented: “THE ONE AND ONLY [red heart emojis],” while Dianne Buswell posted: “[red heart emojis] you look amazing I want to print and have it on my wall!”
Carlos Gu shared: “Sistaaaaaa, you are on fire!!” Oti Mabuse gushed:” So proud of you. This is incredible.” Jowita Przystal added: “Iconic [red heart emojis].”
