Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite has married his partner Paul Atkins.
The Great British Bake Off star, 34, revealed they tied the knot in a low-key ceremony in New York after 16 years together.
Sharing a collection of black and white snaps from their big day on Instagram, John captioned his post: ‘Our big day in the Big Apple. Mr & Mr.’
He then shared a lengthy quote from Justice Anthony Kennedy that he stated in 2015, after he wrote the majority opinion on a landmark ruling making same sex marriage legal across the US.
John’s post was soon flooded with messages from celebrity pals offering their congratulations.
Among them was John’s Strictly celebrity partner Johannes Radebe, who wrote: ‘Massive congratulations.’
Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite has married his partner Paul Atkins. The Great British Bake Off star, 34, revealed they tied the knot in a low-key ceremony in New York
Last year John revealed he had fallen for his dance partner Johannes during his stint on Strictly Come Dancing.
The baker was partnered with the professional dancer, 36, during the 2021 series and said he almost fell victim to the show’s famous curse.
They were the first ever male same-sex pairing on the show and made it to the final two, before being beaten by Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice.
In a candid interview with The Times, John told how he ‘fell in love’ with Johannes while engaged to his partner of 15 years Paul Atkins.
He said the couple ‘spent some time apart’ after he opened up about his feelings towards the South African dancer.
In extracts of his memoir, Dancing on Eggshells, John detailed the depth of his feelings for Johannes.
He describes feeling a ‘sense of loss’ after Strictly finished as he would no longer get to see Johannes every day and expressed wanting ‘to be close to him’.
He said: ‘After that final dance, I hung up my clothes for the last time. I felt a sense of loss.
‘Not because the competition was over, I was knackered and ready for a break, but because I wouldn’t get to see Johannes every single day.
‘I watched him as he sat on the window sill of the dressing room drinking a glass of champagne, still sparkling in his bright white show dance outfit.
‘I was jealous of the sweat beads as they shimmered on his beautiful skin. I wanted to be close to him… We hugged goodbye, I didn’t want to let go.’
Speaking about the infamous Strictly curse, John added: ‘Johannes knew that [the curse] could happen. He had seen it a thousand times with his dance companions over the years.
‘When you are physically pressed against another man for ten hours a day, things move emotionally… He was being cautious. Strictly has a magical way of revealing the truth.’
Last year John revealed he had fallen for his dance partner Johannes Radebe during his stint on Strictly Come Dancing
