After admitting to infidelity, Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite released a vital message about his upcoming biography with a photo of his fiancée.
The 34-year-old Bake Off champion admitted to cheating ahead of the release of his novel Dancing on Eggshells: Kitchen, Ballroom, and the Messy Inbetween.
In recent days, he’s started disclosing insights from the book, including the fact that he’d developed affections for his Strictly partner Johannes Radebe, with whom he competed on the dance series in 2021.
He also admitted to straying on his long-term boyfriend Paul Atkins shortly after winning Bake Off in 2012, claiming he’d indulged in “drunken fondles and experimentation.”
However, now that those passages from his biography have made news, John has sent a defiant response.
He wrote on Instagram, alongside a picture of him and Paul admiring the great outdoors: ‘Thanks for all the lovely messages over the past few days. We’ve been so busy cleaning our cookery school (exciting times – see link in bio for more details!)
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‘But also, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that Strictly Come Dancing is only a tiny portion of the contents of my forthcoming memoir.
‘The book mostly describes what it is to be a human, and how with the love and support of others, we can pull ourselves out of some very dark places.
‘It’s a story of hope and redemption, and not inane gossip.’
This comes after John said that his relationship with Paul had some ups and downs, telling The Times in a recent interview that he ‘tested limits’ of their relationship after Bake Off.
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’, John spoke about cheating on his partner.
In the same interview, John said that his relationship was strained nine years later after he ‘fell in love’ with Johannes, which resulted in some ‘time away’ from his girlfriend.
However, the pair later reunited, with John noting how Paul had “nurtured and stood with me.”
Following the publication of these tales, John advised readers to wait until the book was out to obtain the complete narrative, breaking his social media silence to write: ‘Context is essential.’
In May, John published a snapshot of the book’s cover, stating that despite being “practically a foetus,” he had “a lot more to contribute than you’d think would fit into my 34 years.”
He continued: ‘This book deals with my struggles of bulimia and body dysmorphia, alcoholism and seeking external validation.
‘I speak candidly about the mistakes I’ve made (including joining OnlyFans).
‘But ultimately, I wanted to speak of how above all else, I believe in love and forgiveness.’
