Coming soon, the f irst Strictly same-sex dance
It’ll pip Dancing On Ice to the post by pairing Johannes (who’s gay) with Graziano (who’s engaged to girlfriend)
InCLuDInG same-sex couples on Strictly Come Dancing has been a topic of great debate.
But producers may address the issue sooner rather than later – as the first male duet dance will air next month.
Two of the BBC show’s professional dancers, Graziano Di Prima, 25, and Johannes Radebe, 32, will perform together during the results show on november 3. Strictly have featured samesex pairings in group routines before, but not in a dance involving only two people.
‘It’s a brave move for the BBC and will break boundaries but bosses are under a lot of pressure,’ a show source told The Sun. ‘It will hopefully pave the way for a same-sex couple next year. It’s a step in the right direction for making the show even more diverse.’
Di Prima, who is engaged to fellow dancer Giada Lini, and Radebe, who is gay, both joined the show last year.
Di Prima does not have a celebrity partner this year, but danced with DJ Vick Hope on last year’s series. Radebe, who has twice reached the final of South Africa’s Strictly, is partnered with former Coronation Street actress Catherine Tyldesley, 36.
Head judge Shirley Ballas has previously said she backs samesex dancing on Strictly, saying: ‘It’s two human beings that are moving to music.’
Radebe last year spoke out after facing ‘terrible’ homophobic bullying as a child. Speaking to Attitude magazine, he said: ‘It was verbal, it was... Everything terrible you could possibly think of. I used to hide from the world.’
He added: ‘But I’m thankful for dance, because that was the one place I could be who I am.’
Earlier this month it was reported that ITV’s Dancing On Ice will include a male partnership – the first in television history.
Ian Watkins, known as ‘H’ from Steps, 43, and professional ice skater Matt Evers, also 43, who has appeared on the show since 2006, will perform together on the 12th series in January.
It is understood that Watkins enquired about being paired with a male professional, and the production team on the ITV show was ‘fully supportive’.