Strictly's first ever same-sex dance attracts overwhelmingly positive viewer response

Strictly professionals Graziano Di Prima and Johannes Radebe took to the dancefloor to dance to Emile Sande’s hit Shine, attracting significant praise from viewers.

Taking to Twitter after the dance, Di Prima wrote that “REPRESENTATION always matters” describing it as an “unforgettable moment.”

https://twitter.com/GrazianoDiPrima/status/1191124431789285376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1191124431789285376&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.sky.com%2Fstory%2Fstrictly-come-dancing-praised-for-first-ever-same-sex-dance-11853848

In an earlier tweet, he had said, “Our friendship is difficult to explain, we went through so many moments together that we can understand each other without saying a WORD.

“As I say to you most of the time: You will be part of my life FOREVER...”

And the reaction from viewers was overwhelmingly positive – with many fans of the show describing the moment as “beautiful.”

One fan wrote “Graziano and Johannes are already the winners of Strictly Come Dancing 2019.”

Another tweeted, “Johannes and Graziano dancing together on Strictly was so stunningly beautiful. Thank you both for such a wonderful routine to such a beautiful song. Hopefully a same sex celebrity/professional couple next year.”

Some viewers even went so far as to say that the dance had brought them to tears, with one saying, “My heart just bursted watching @GrazianoDiPrima and @jojo_radebe dancing, let me cry a thousand tears.”

With ITV’s Dancing on Ice set to feature a same-sex couple for the first time when it airs next year, it will be interesting to see if Strictly follows suit for its 2020 edition.

Earlier this year BBC bosses said that they were open to the idea of introducing same-sex couples “should the opportunity arise” while former judge Len Goodman has floated the idea of a separate spin-off show for same-sex pairings.