John Whaite theorises which pro dancer he will be paired with on Strictly in ...

John Whaite has postulated which professional dancer he will be paired with on Strictly Come Dancing and hopes to make his ballroom debut in heels as part of the show's first all-male couple. 

The former GBBO contestant, 33, explained why starring on the forthcoming show in a same-sex pairing is such an 'honour,'  before recalling the moment he discovered he was confirmed for the 2021 series. 

During an episode of Steph’s Packed Lunch on Tuesday, he said he will find out his official dance partner tomorrow, but must keep it a secret before the launch episode on September 18th. 

Speculating about who his partner might be, John said: 'There are four lads who I think are tall enough for me to dance with. 

'There’s Graziano [Di Prima], Kai [Widdrington], Johannes [Radebe] and Aljaž [Škorjanec]. 

'They’re the four who I think are tall enough for me, but they might give me a shorter dancer and put him in heels. I’m really hoping I get to do a dance in heels.'

John identifies as gay and he described what it means to him to be part of the first all-male pairing in Strictly history.   

He said to host Steph: 'It’s a massive honour… If I’d have seen two lads or lasses dancing together on Saturday night TV and nobody made a fuss about it, I don’t think I’d have grown up with quite so much shame for being gay.

'I just hope there are kids out there watching who don’t even question it, who watch it and think, "I am who I am and I’m comfortable with that, and I’m accepted and loved and can be loved for who I am." It’s a massive privilege.'

John - who is resident chef on Steph's Packed Lunch - revealed he was in the supermarket when he got the call to confirm he would star on the 2021 series. 

He recalled: 'I got the call when I was in a supermarket on the frozen food aisle, I had to whisper to [my fiancé] Paul.

'"Oh my God"… We got in the car and drove home in silence, we didn’t know how to process it.'

He added: 'I feel sick, I’m sweating just thinking about it… Knowing my luck, I’ll fall down the stairs like Meryl Streep in Death Becomes Her, rip my knickers, let out a little trump, there’ll be sequins all over the place!'        

The baking aficionado is currently engaged to graphics designer Paul Atkins. 

He joked that he has already begun getting in the Strictly mood with his fiancé as he added: 'I did do a samba for Paul in my thong. It was during the heatwave… He said, "You need to watch this YouTube tutorial and learn how to do the Samba," so I did it and he filmed it. 

'I looked pretty good actually! But apart from that I’ve not done anything.'

The chef also revealed to Steph that he received a thoughtful gift from fellow contestant Greg Wise, when they ran into each other at the Strictly studio.

John said: 'Greg Wise gave me a jar of his damson jam. There was a knock on my dressing room door and Greg was there in this sequin shirt clutching a jar of jam. So I’ve got a jar of jam from the damsons from Emma Thompson’s tree.'

When asked what he plans on giving to the cooking show judge in return, John quipped: 'I’m going to make him a spiced pumpkin cake, if I have time. I’ve got one in the freezer I might defrost that.' 

John revealed he also received celebrity support from former Strictly contestant Michelle Visage. He said: 'When it was announced, Michelle Visage messaged me giving me loads of tips. She said "start stretching now."' 

Steph’s Packed Lunch airs weekdays at 12.30pm on Channel 4 and All 4