Johannes Radebe taking singing lessons to prepare for Kinky Boots musical

Dancer Johannes Radebe has been taking singing lessons for two years to prepare for his musical debut in Kinky Boots.

The Strictly Come Dancing professional will be playing drag queen Lola in a new touring production of the musical next year.

During an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show, which airs on Saturday, the South African dancer revealed that he's known about the role for two years and has been working hard to get his vocals ready.

"It's my musical debut," he shared. "I'm a late bloomer. I have the opportunity to play Lola in Kinky Boots. Everything I've done in my career has led to this moment. I've followed it since its inception.

"A first for me. It's been two years I've been taking my singing lessons because I've known about the job for two years. I just wanted to respect people who have come before me and put in the work before I could say yes. I'm grateful that the producers waited until I was ready."

Kinky Boots, a musical adaptation of the 2005 film of the same name, sees shoemaker Charlie Price form an unlikely partnership with drag performer Lola to produce a line of high-heeled boots to save his factory. Lola was played by Chiwetel Ejiofor in the film and Billy Porter in the original Broadway production.

When his musical debut was announced earlier this week, Johannes shared old social media messages in which he expressed his desire to play Lola one day.

"Another dream is realized. I'm making my musical debut as Lola in Kinky Boots, the only role I've always envisaged playing," he wrote on Instagram.

The touring production begins in Leicester in January 2025 and concludes in Oxford in July.