A Strictly Come Dancing star has unveiled the backlash he faced for creating an OnlyFans account.
John Whaite, 36, won the Great British Bake Off in 2012 before making history in Strictly’s first same-sex pairing with Johannes Radebe in 2021, reaching the final.
However, following the axe of Steph’s Packed Lunch in 2023, the baker vowed to quit TV and later joined OnlyFans in 2022.
Despite admitting that he ‘regretted’ signing up at first, John returned to the platform earlier this year and was recognised in the top 0.41% of all creators.
The chef has previously been open about his decision to share content on the adult-only website, but now, in an interview with Gay Times, John has shed light on a particularly difficult moment.
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Describing his decision to join OnlyFans, where celebs including Cardi B, Iggy Azalea, and Lily Allen also post content, John told the publication: ‘For me, it’s a sense of complete freedom in my sexuality.
‘For so long, I hated my body. I’ve had bulimia and body dysmorphia, and I’ve got to the stage where I’m happy that my body is shape-shifting. It grows, it shrinks, it can do beautiful things, and I just don’t care anymore—not in a nihilistic way where I’ve given up on life, actually the opposite!
‘I’m so happy that my life has gone in the direction it’s gone in, and I want to celebrate everything—right down to my nether regions!’
However, when asked about some of the ‘monitoring’ he experienced when he first joined the platform, he went on to say: ‘I remember one day on the studio floor in front of all the cameras, a researcher I was working with really closely, said to me, “Oh, have you? Have you done it? Is it true? You’ve done a full frontal on OnlyFans,” and I felt like I was being set up.
‘I was being asked this in front of the six cameras in a rehearsal. I was really, really p****d off. My agent confirmed that someone at the production company was watching.’
That moment was the ‘tipping point’ for John, as he realised that he was ‘valued enough to let [him] say things on screen that would get them headlines, but they didn’t value [him] enough to say, “Look, we’re worried for you. We think you should not be doing this right now”.’
‘They should respect you and look after you. I think the deeper conversation here is about welfare generally within the TV industry. I think that is still very much an elusive beast,’ he stated.
Previously, the Strictly star defended his decision to join the adult content site, saying: ‘I for one don’t want to live my life stuck in a steadfast template that restricts my next move.
‘Secondly, I enjoy performance. I enjoy being a show-off. I enjoy building my body and celebrating the results. That’s not for everyone, and that’s ok—if you don’t like meat, just walk on by the butcher’s shop.’
He also claimed: ‘I quit the TV industry 18 months ago and haven’t looked back.
‘I had an incredible 12-year-long career and achieved some extraordinary milestones that I’ll proudly take with me to the grave.
‘I loved it (mostly) while it lasted and made some wonderful friendships, which I’ll cherish, but that river, for me, had run dry. It didn’t set me alight anymore.’
In April, John blasted the ‘insulting’ Waitrose for ‘dropping him’ with no prior warning following his journey to go on OnlyFans.
Also in March, he endured a similar experience with the car company Peugeot, which ended its contract with him following his return to OnlyFans, MailOnline reported.
John admitted that he was ‘bitter’ after the company refused to work with him for posting racy online images.
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