Strictly Come Dancing's John Whaite sends message to show trolls

Strictly Come Dancing contestant John Whaite has shared a powerful message to shut down the show's trolls.

The Bake Off winner took to his Instagram Stories after some of his co-stars, including Olympian Adam Peaty and former rugby union player Ugo Monye, spoke out against the vile comments aimed at Strictly participants.

"If you're trolling any of my Strictly pals (or anyone on the planet for that matter) let me ask you… What have you done today to be vulnerable?" Whaite asked in his post.

john whaite shares a message for the strictly trolls

@john_whaite//Instagram

"What have you done today that is inspiring? What have you done today to push yourself out of your comfort zone?

"If the answer is 'nothing' then pipe down," he continued. "Don't judge a person before you've walked a mile in their (dance) shoes."

Whaite and his dance partner Johannes Radebe are among the five couples who are still in the running for the Strictly title.

strictly come dancing john whaite and johannes radebe

Guy Levy//BBC

Alongside them, the other quarter-finalists are BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker and Nadiya Bychkova, TV presenter AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington, EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice and CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson and his partner Nancy Xu.

Earlier this month, Whaite admitted that he cried during rehearsals ahead of an intimate dance he was going to perform with Radebe.

The pair — the show's first male same-sex couple — performed a Rumba to Sting's 'Shape of My Heart' earlier this month.

BBC

"It's intimate. I am not ashamed to admit it. Day one on Monday when we danced it, I actually cried," Whaite said during a recent appearance on It Takes Two.

"Because we've done all these very masculine things, we've done powerful things, which have been great, but to finally show a sensitive, emotional side is beautiful."

Strictly Come Dancing 2021 airs on Saturday nights on BBC One, with results shows every Sunday. Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights at 6.30pm on BBC Two.