Dancing on Eggshells

‘We come for the glitter, but instead we get the grit, in stories told with insight, tenderness and joy.’ – Russell T Davies

With a foreword by Steph McGovern

‘I never thought I’d write a memoir. I never thought I’d do a lot of the things I have done in my thirty-four years, but life has a wonderful way of surprising us.’

Well-known as the winner of the third series of The Great British Bake Off and runner up of Strictly Come Dancing with his same-sex dance partner Johannes Radebe, John Whaite’s personal story is a complicated narrative of contradictions, highs and lows, told with tenderness, joy, insight and wit, but also unflinching honesty.

A shy little boy from rural Lancashire, who was scared to sleep alone and danced a little ‘too gay’ at family weddings, he was also an unruly teen who shaved a checkerboard pattern into his hair and refused to conform.

From childhood his life has revolved around food – his parents owned a fish and chip shop where John worked in the back peeling potatoes – but for long periods he has been haunted by bulimia and body dysmorphia and not a day goes by when he doesn’t worry about what or how much he eats.

He achieved TV fame but then seemingly wilfully chose to self-destruct, before finding the strength to pull back when he woke up in a car with half a kebab at his feet and chilli sauce on his shoes.

Through it all, his essential optimism has meant that he has chosen to take every step back as a chance to reassess and begin again, finally arriving at the realisation that external validation and fulfilment is transient – a distraction from the sometimes painful pilgrimage we make as we gain wisdom from our experiences.

Author Biography

John Whaite won the third series of The Great British Bake Off and was runner up of the 2021 series of BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing on which he was the first all-male pairing in the show’s history. He is the author of five cookery books, John Whaite Bakes: Recipes for Every Day and Every Mood, John Whaite Bakes At Home (published by Headline), Perfect Plates in 5 Ingredients, A Flash in the Pan (published by Kyle Books) and Comfort: Food to Soothe the Soul, which was chosen as Book of the Year 2017 by BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme.

John was a resident chef on ITV’s Lorraine for 4 years and is currently resident chef and guest presenter on Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch. He is also a presenter on Food Unwrapped and is a regular chef for Waitrose online.