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Is Strictly's Johannes Radebe related to footballer Lucas Radebe?

The dance pro originally hails from South Africa


johannes radebe strictly© Photo: BBC
Diane Shipley
Senior Online Writer
November 13, 2021
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Johannes Radebe is currently wowing viewers and judges alike alongside GBBO winner John Whaite on the 19th series of Strictly Come Dancing.

As fans of the show already know, Johannes hails from South Africa, and the fact that he shares a surname with local footballer Lucas Radebe has many wondering if that's just a coincidence, or there might be a family connection.

MORE: Strictly fans left in tears following 'emotional' same-sex dance

So what's the truth? Are they related, or complete strangers?

It turns out the pair don't actually share DNA – but there is a bit of an eerie family connection between them, as Lucas' father is also called Johannes Radebe!

WATCH: Strictly Come Dancing's professionals perform to Taylor Swift

While Strictly star Johannes is a world-class dancer, Lucas Radebe impressed on the football field. The former player, 52, started his career with local team Kaizer Chiefs before transferring to Leeds United, where he stayed from 1994-2005.

READ: Strictly's Johannes Radebe reveals sad reason behind social media silence in emotional post

MORE: Strictly Come Dancing fans say the same thing about show's 'historic' pairing

The sportsman became team captain as well as captaining the South African national team, including at the 2002 World Cup, leading Nelson Mandela to call him a "hero".

lucas radebe© Photo: Getty Images

Lucas Radebe is an international football legend 

The Strictly star has an impressive professional calibre, too, having been the South African amateur Latin champion three times and a professional Latin champion twice before taking part in South Africa's version of the BBC show, Dancing With The Stars.

The 34-year-old joined the Strictly line-up in 2018 but didn't get his first celebrity partner until 2019, when he was paired with Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley.

Last year, his partner was another actress, Caroline Quentin. Johannes isn't only competitive when it comes to dancing, though.

johannes radebe masterchef© Photo: BBC

Johannes starred on Celebrity MasterChef earlier this year

The star also took part in Celebrity MasterChef earlier this year, alongside a slew of famous names, including Loose Women panellist Penny Lancaster and presenter Melanie Sykes.

However, the dancer was the fourth celebrity to leave, having failed to win over the judges with his dishes, although many of his fans took to social media to deny criticism that his delicious-looking first-round burrito was "too simple".

The programme was eventually won by presenter and Paralympic cyclist Kadeena Cox.

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