Johannes Radebe lit up Strictly Come Dancing as half of its first all-male pairing - but he cannot remember when he was last part of a couple off the dancefloor.
The professional dancer, 34, has been so caught up in his hectic work schedule that he hasn't had time for romance.
He told The Mirror: "I honestly don't know when I was last in a relationship. It's been a while, a few years. I've been too busy. I've dedicated my life to dancing.
"So there's been no time for a relationship. I live on my own and I've been very lonely the last couple of years. I've been working and I haven't had time to socialise."
But now he says he is ready to find love, though first he faces the challenge of meeting that special someone.
He insists he doesn't even get chatted up, saying: "I need to get out more! I need to go to a bar or a lovely restaurant and date. That would be nice. I wouldn't do dating apps or websites."
The dancer explained: "I've tried that, it doesn't work. And also, it's hard as a public figure. I would like to meet someone at face value and get to know them."
"I went out to clubs with the other dancers when we were on the Strictly tour. That was nice, but I don't want to meet someone in a club," he further commented recently.
Johannes lives in London, having moved to the UK from his native South Africa in 2018 when he was asked to join Strictly, having taken part in South Africa's version of the show.
He said: "It's been a long journey. I'm very proud of how far I've come, but now, if the opportunity arises for a relationship, it's welcomed."
He continued: "I'm here for it. I'm in one place and I'm settled. I don't know what has changed, but something has definitely clicked. It's perhaps because I now call the UK home.
"That stability has brought on this new perspective on life. I’m not travelling as much as I used to – I’m in one place.
"It would be beautiful to have children one day. But it's a responsibility I'd like to share. To go about that you need a partner and a strong relationship. But I feel like I'm at that age."
Johannes began on the BBC show as a group dancer before partnering former Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley and actress Caroline Quentin. Then last year he got to the final with Great British Bake Off star John Whaite.
Johannes says: "Being part of the first all-male couple on Strictly meant a great deal to me and was very courageous of the BBC.
"It represented everything I was and the very thing I'd been running away from, being visible and educating people that there is nothing wrong with being gay."
He continued: "People are still being killed because they're gay. I try to avoid social media. Last year, I had messages saying, 'Don’t come back to Africa, you're a disgrace'."
"[They were] calling me all sorts of names. I've been called a monkey and told I'm disgusting. Some of the people leaving these messages were mothers.
"It worries me that they are raising kids around so much hate and discrimination."
It wasn't until he was 31 that he discussed his sexuality with his mum Jacobeth. He said: "We addressed it after the passing of a friend of mine. She said, 'Did you hear about Puli?'
"I said, 'He was murdered because he is gay. The last words he heard was that he was a f****t. That could have been me. Because I’m gay.' She said, 'You are my son and nothing changes.'"
Johannes grew up in the township of Zamdela and left home at 12 to move in with a family who had a dance school 50 miles away in Johannesburg. Two years later his dad Benjamin died.
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Johannes says: "I had to grow up very fast. Mum had to go and work as a housekeeper to support me and my older sister Pearl. One year I was chosen to represent South Africa in a competition in Russia.
But we had to cover most of the costs, so I couldn’t go. So, somebody else that had the money got the opportunity instead."
Johannes is now sharing his life story in his solo UK dance tour Johannes Radebe: Freedom.
He says: "I've called it Freedom because there's no more fear of self-expression and shame, which as a black gay man is something I've struggled with for years.
"Now for the first time I get to dance to my own tune. It's been a long time coming."
You can find out more about the tour through johannes-live.com
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