Strictly Come Dancing star Johannes Radebe joined Prince Edward to celebrate the Duke of Edinburgh Gold award winners at a celebration event in the Buckingham Palace gardens in London.The 35 year old South African dancer shared an empowering message with the young people in who gathered at the ceremony and told those in attendance: "Don’t dream big. Dream huge." He looked smart in a pin-striped blue suit as he joined the Earl of Wessex, 58, at the first in-person party for gold award holders since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Johannes, a Duke of Edinburgh programme alumnus, spoke about enduring bullying at school and the racist and homophobic abuse he received on his journey to stardom. Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter During his speech delivered from the palace's West Terrace Steps, Johannes recalled his time as part of the first all-male Strictly Come Dancing couple.
He said it was his belief in the importance of representation and his love of ballroom which encouraged him to remain on the dance floor. Johannes said in the powerful speech: "Though I have been blown away by the love and support I’ve received from the public, I also received vile messages of racist and homophobic abuse.
Faced with such hate, I could have been tempted to hide from the world as I had once tried to do as a child. "But dance had taught me that I belong.That I deserve to take up space.
And I knew other young gay black men watching me on their television screens needed to hear that message too – as I often say, you can’t be what you can’t see. "That is what gave me the resilience to get back on the dancefloor." Prince Edward described the dancer's message as "very inspiring"
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