Strictly Come Dancing 'to pair up first same-sex couple this year'
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Strictly Come Dancing will pair up its first same-sex couple this year, according to reports.
The BBC will reportedly make the historic move after ITV's Dancing On Ice paired Olympic skater Matt Evers with pop star Ian "H" Watkins last year.
Professional dancer Johannes Radebe, 33, is the front-runner to be paired with a male celebrity, according to the Sun.
The South African joined Strictly in 2018 and performed a one-off, same-sex routine with Graziano Di Prima on the last series.
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A source told the newspaper: “The plan to introduce a same-sex couple was made after ITV took the plunge.
“Many of Strictly’s stars have called on producers to cast a same-sex couple for the past few years and it’s been decided this will be the year.
“Johannes made history with Graziano in the last series by becoming the first same-sex dancers to perform and he’s made no secret of how keen he’d be to take on the role."