Strictly Come Dancing's Johannes Radebe says 'don't even start' as he shares sad family news

Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe has revealed that his family have been banned from entering the UK. The 37-year-old pro dancer recently spoke of his mother Jacobeth and his siblings’ inability to come and see him perform on his tour, House of Jojo.

"I was hoping that they were going to be here this evening, but [they can't] because of visa issues." He continued: "Don't even start. But it's fine, she'll make it to Liverpool."

Johannes was praised by his former celebrity partner Annabel Croft, who took to the stage during his opening solo show and said: "Thank you so much for the honour to dance with you here at the Palladium. This is beyond anybody's dream, but to dance with you Johannes has been extraordinary. You gave me the most wonderful, joyful, and most healing experience on Strictly. And I can't thank you enough for that. You are such a special person, you sprinkle your magic everywhere, and I'm so thrilled to see it." Try WalesOnline Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.

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Johannes, who moved to the UK in 2018, and 2023 dance partner Annabel supported each other as they both struggled with grief. The professional dancer was coming to terms with the death of a family member when he was partnered with Annabel, who had not long lost her husband.

Johannes' cousin died by suicide and the funeral was just two weeks ahead of Strictly training. Speaking on the Table Manners podcast Johannes revealed his fury at the producers for the pairing. "I mean, a lot of people say, ‘Oh Johannes, you helped Annabelle,’ but no, Annabelle helped me," he said.

He continued: "When they (first) said I'm dancing with her, I was like, What are they trying to achieve? And I say that because two weeks before I started, I buried my cousin who committed suicide. You know, I wasn't as excited as I normally would be, because I was like, this is supposed to be the most exciting period, I've just come back off a very successful tour. But I had to then go home (South Africa). I could have stayed out there for longer but after we buried him, I had to fly back to the UK and do my audiobook.

"That was hard, and when Strictly started, I was just like, Okay, just felt like I was going through the motions. And yeah, they said we think that you're the person to partner, this woman. I just said to myself, they're reaching. I remember calling my agent. I was like, I don't know what's going to happen. Maybe we should say that I shouldn't get a partner this year because I just really need some time out."

Johannes and Annabel ultimately finished fifth on last year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing. The pair struck up a strong friendship during their time on the programme. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.