John Whaite has admitted to cheating on his fiancée after becoming ‘a little caught up’ in his newfound popularity following his success on The Great British Bake Off.
John, aged 34, competed in the third series of the BBC series in 2012, winning the championship after defeating finalists Brendan Lynch and James Morton.
However, in the years after he’s revealed that winning the show ‘derailed’ his life, he’s admitted that earlier disclosing it encouraged him to drink.
Now, John, who was 23 when he won the programme, has claimed that he became engrossed in the trappings of celebrity, which caused him to drift away from his relationship on a daily basis.
While he’d been with Paul Atkins for five years at the time, John admitted to ‘testing the boundaries’ of their relationship.
After being catapulted into a world of ‘freebies, champagne hampers, meals out and holidays’ as well as screen tests, red carpets, parties and a six-figure book deal, he cheated on his partner.
‘[There were] Drunken fondles and experiments with various soap stars and celebrities,’ he told The Times.
Reflecting on his actions, John has now acknowledged that he got ‘somewhat swept away with it all’.
In the same interview, John said that his relationship was put to the test nine years later when he ‘fell in love’ with Strictly Come Dancing professional partner Johannes Radebe.
The baker and Johannes, 36, made programme history by being the first same-sex pair to dance on the show in 2021.
John, who was still with Paul at the time, admitted: ‘I fell in love with him. I can’t speak for him – because I’m not allowed to, legally – but it felt like there was love there.
He continued: ‘So yes, I fell in love with Johannes. I still love Johannes. Of course I do.’
According to the baker, he told Paul, a graphic designer, about his love for Johannes, which led in them agreeing on some “time apart.”
The couple, who are now engaged, eventually reconciled, with John explaining: ‘I look at Paul and what he’s put up with over the years and how he’s nurtured me and stood by me, and who would throw that away? I couldn’t.’
While John stated that he still chatted with Johannes on occasion, he would discontinue communication if things were ‘tricky’ for his partner.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC and iPlayer later this year.
