Johannes Radebe is reportedly set to join Emma Willis in Strictly Come Dancing’s new hosting line-up, after chemistry tests that appeared to narrow the field and pushed several other names out of contention. The move would give the long-serving professional dancer a fresh on-screen role on the show he has been part of for years.
A source said on Tuesday, 12 May, that everyone involved in the auditions thought the job was going to JoJo, with the insider adding that Radebe was paired with every other celeb during the tests and did incredibly well. The source said he could also take on a slightly different presenting role as a roving reporter, a shift that would move him beyond the dance floor while keeping him in front of viewers.
Willis had already been offered a presenting role after the chemistry tests, while Zoe Ball, Angela Scanlon and Rylan Clark were no longer in the running. The latest reports suggest the show’s producers have settled on a pairing that blends a new presenter with one of the programme’s best-known personalities, rather than reaching for a fully new face.
Radebe’s place on the show is not in doubt. He was confirmed to be returning as a professional dancer on the new series, extending a run that began in 2018 and has made him one of the programme’s most recognisable figures. He also made history in 2021 as part of the show’s first-ever same-sex pairing, dancing with Bake Off’s John Whate and helping broaden the series’ image with viewers.
That history matters because Strictly Come Dancing has long sold itself on familiarity, spectacle and a cast of professionals the audience already trusts. Radebe fits that pattern. He is described as a fan favourite, and his reported move into a presenting slot would let the programme use a familiar face to front a new chapter without gambling on someone unknown.
The unresolved question now is not whether Radebe has a place on Strictly, but how visible his new role will be. If the roving reporter plan goes ahead, the show would be testing a different kind of on-air presence for one of its most popular stars while keeping him in the professional line-up. For a series that depends on keeping loyal viewers invested, that looks less like a gamble than a carefully managed handover.
