Strictly’s John Whaite eager to win Glitterball Trophy after mum smashed Bake Off prize
Strictly Come Dancing's John Whaite is keen to win the Glitterball Trophy after his mum accidentally broke his 'Great British Bake Off' prize.
The 32-year-old chef, who’s partnered with Johannes Radebe in the dance competition, is particularly eager to triumph on the BBC Latin and ballroom show because his glass cake stand trophy - which he won on the baking show in 2012 - has been broken.
He said: “Before we started 'Strictly', I asked her, ‘Can I have my Bake Off trophy? I’ve got a bookshelf just built and I want to showcase it’.
"And she was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll find it for you’. I pushed her on it again a week later and she said, ‘I smashed it’.”
Deciding what to fill the “gaping hole” on his bookshelf with, John said he preferred the Glitterball Trophy over a skull gifted to him.
He said: "I was going to put a skull there that my aunt gave me, but the Glitterball would look much prettier!”
John - who made history alongside Johannes as the show's first all-male pairing - also admitted the programme's ongoing rehearsals and routines have taken a toll on some of the celebrities.
But he has managed to avoid any major injuries so far, and believes his career as a chef stood him in good stead for the show.
He told TV Times magazine: "A lot of the other 'Strictly' couples are saying how they’ve got terrible bunions and corns, their ankles are killing them, their calves have swollen up and their legs are hanging on by a thread, whereas I feel fine.
“But then, as a chef, I’m on my feet all day anyway.”
John and Johannes will compete in the 'Strictly' quarter-finals on Saturday (04.12.21.) on BBC One.
