BBC Strictly Come Dancing pro set to quit after realising 'he's too big for show'

A Strictly Come Dancing fan favourite is set to quit the BBC show after finding fame away from the BBC dancefloor. Johannes Radebe could leave Strictly Come Dancing as he becomes the latest pro to get too big for the show.

Johannes, known as Jojo, will perform in Kinky Boots The Musical for the first seven months of 2025 as well as turning his life story into a movie. A Strictly insider said: “Johannes is hugely loved on the show and there isn’t an atom of bad feeling about him leaving.

“Both he and the show’s bosses realise he is overwhelmed with work as a result of his soaring popularity and wish him all the best. But nobody can ever get so big that they continually take up too much limelight - the star of the show must always be the show itself.

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“That was something obvious when even Sir Bruce Forsyth left his hosting job, even though he was synonymous with Strictly. It was a similar story when his fellow South African pro Oti Mabuse left two years ago - and she went on to bigger things too.

“Of course, bosses will probably try to find a way to bring him back at some point and he would no doubt consider returning. But for now, he just has too much to juggle alongside the contest. It isn’t just the announced projects that he’s working on, there are other opportunities in the pipeline too, which he can now explore further.”

Johannes is paired this year with Montell Douglas - aka Fire from Gladiators - and previously reached the final of the show three years ago, when he was partnered up with The Great British Bake Off star John Whaite. The pair lost out on the Glitterball Trophy to Rose Ayling Ellis and Giovanni Pernice.