Johannes Radebe Image via Twitter @jojo_radebe
‘I get stopped all the time’: Johannes Radebe details run-ins with UK cops
‘Strictly Come Dancing’ star Johannes Radebe opened up about his plight as a black man in the UK, claiming that he has to put careful consideration into what he wears to avoid being stopped by the police.
Johannes Radebe Image via Twitter @jojo_radebe
South African-born professional dancer Johannes Radebe has stolen the show countless times on the UK’s Strictly Come Dancing. In a recent interview, he shared that he has to carefully consider what he wears in public because he is often stopped by police in the UK.
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JOHANNES RADEBE: ‘I’M TALL. I’M BLACK’
According to The Daily Mail, Johannes Radebe appeared on Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch on Tuesday 26 October. The 34-year-old dancing sensation detailed the ‘”terrible” experiences he has had as a black man while in the UK.
He explained that he has to avoid wearing black leather jackets and caps to avoid being stopped by the police.
“I’m going to stop wearing a cap and a black leather jacket. I say that because I get stopped all the time, and they [the police] go, ‘Oh sorry, it’s not you.’”
“I’m tall. I’m black. It’s important who you are and what you do and where you hang around.”
‘TERRIBLE’ EXPERIENCE
Continuing to detail his experiences, Radebe explained the plight of his reality as a black man in the UK, saying that attitudes are very different back home in South Africa in his eyes.
“It’s terrible, it really is terrible. You don’t get to experience it often where I come from. That’s probably because 90% of the population is black, I don’t know.”
“You travel the world and that’s always the case…I have to be careful of how I dress. That’s my reality.”
“I do try and look more ‘civilised’ so to speak…It’s a reality for many people.”
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JOHANNES RADEBE AND JOHN WHAITE MAKE ‘STRICTLY’ HISTORY
After appearing on Strictly Come Dancing several times since 2018, Radebe is currently on the 19th season of the dance competition and is paired up with Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite.
Radebe and Whaite are the first all-pairing and the second same-sex pairing after season 18’s Nicola Adams and Katya Jones.
Six weeks in, Radebe and Whaite are still going strong in the competition.
Taking to Instagram, Radebe expressed his gratitude to his supporters writing: “We thank you for coming through for us. John Whaite and I will keep working hard.”
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