Strictly star John Whaite hints at who pro partner could be

Strictly Come Dancing 2021 contestant John Whaite has a theory over his soon-to-be professional partner.

Currently, nobody knows who will be taking Whaite's hand during the performances, although they will officially be the show's first-ever male pairing.

According to Whaite, it's all a matter of height, since he's 6 foot, 2 inches tall.

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craig revel horwood, shirley ballas and bruno tonioli at the strictly come dancing arena tour 2020 dress rehearsal

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Referencing Graziano Di Prima, Johannes Radebe, Aljaz Skorjanec and Kai Widdrington, the Great British Bake Off champion teased on Steph's Packed Lunch: "They're the four I think who are tall enough for me. But they might give me a shorter dancer and put him in heels. But I'm really hoping I get to do a dance in heels."

Any one of this quartet would make logistical sense, so we'd be surprised if Whaite was given Nikita Kuzmin, Cameron Lombard, Giovanni Pernice, Gorka Marquez or Neil Jones.

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Speaking about his historically significant Strictly tenure, the 32-year-old told the TV presenter: "It's a massive honour... If I'd 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."

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and is due to return later in 2021.