Strictly Come Dancing's Montell Douglas on how bond with Johannes has evolved

Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Montell Douglas had a heartfelt chat about her bond with dance partners Johannes Radebe and Kai Widdrington after her performances in the Strictly Live Tour. The Gladiators icon, who secured sixth place alongside pro dancer Johannes before hitting the tour with Kai while Johannes was engaged elsewhere, gave an intimate insight into their relationship.

Paying homage to Johannes’s impact on her self-assurance, Montell disclosed plans for a catch-up, expressing: "I haven't seen him since the finale of the show."

Montell spoke tenderly to Wales Online about the easy rapport she shared with Johannes: "I love connections, he loves connections and to have that organic connection, it was very natural. It felt like family very quickly, it didn't feel like a student teacher relationship.

"It was like brother and sister, we could have the banter."

The Olympian reflected on the give-and-take nature of their partnership, noting Johannes’s complementary traits: "We have a certain amount of similarities but there are certain things that he has learnt and I have learnt separately and they come together and then we fill in the gaps."

Montell described herself as fiercely independent, a contrast to Johannes's nurturing character: "Because I'm super independent and self-sufficient, whereas he has to nurture and grow someone. With me, it was more he can basically drop me off at nursery and leave me to play with my friends and I won't panic."

She concluded on how their unique characters played off each other, providing mutual support when needed: "I genuinely feel like that's where we bounced off each other, we could give each other what we needed when we needed it.

"Also the sign of a great friendship is he definitely helped me, because in the studio he would always give me a 10.

"He would go at certain points 'There is your 10 right there', because it becomes less about perfection and more about you just doing your best and going through this process."

The star confessed her struggles with self-belief and how Johannes boosted her confidence by insisting: "I have always struggled with entitlement because I was taught to work hard to earn everything.

"He would always say to me 'You deserve this' and that's really helped with my confidence in going through life."

On transitioning to dance with Kai after Johannes, Montell described it as seamless due to their close relationship, noting: "It was great because before we had even got paired [Kai] was helping with choreo, he was the person we could go to and lean on."

She praised Kai's gentlemanly nature and calming presence, saying: "He's just a gentleman, he's a very different energy, the perfect person to have on tour. He's so relaxed and chilled, we have got a very similar temperament."

Montell highlighted the fun dynamic between them: "We have a lot of fun, we joke around and bounce off each other - it was definitely what I needed knowing Jojo wasn't going to be there."

She also appreciated Kai's continued support: "He still checks on me, making sure I'm OK, it was nice to still have that and feel like you're not on your own."

Passionate about learning new skills, Montell Douglas is supporting the Skills for Life campaign from the Department for Education.

Together, they’re on a mission to help adults across the country make some brain gains in 2025.

To find out more about the free and flexible learning opportunities in your local area search ‘Skills for Life’.