Recalling this extraordinary moment, the Strictly Come Dancing star booms with laughter at his over-exuberant spontaneous display in this exclusive interview with hello!.
“As I did it, I was thinking: ‘Johannes, what is wrong with you?’” he says, shaking his head. “It’s part of our culture as Africans to bow to an elder as a form of respect, but I don’t know what got into me to think this was a fitting way to greet the King.
“There was a gentle grin on his face as he picked me up with his eyes and said: ‘Hello, Johannes – welcome back to Buckingham Palace,’” he continues, recounting His Majesty’s kindly but bemused response.
MAJOR OCCASION
He was surrounded by royalty – including the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh – as well as ministers and diplomats at the King’s first state banquet as monarch, held in honour of South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, ten weeks after the death of Elizabeth II.
And Johannes, who is more accustomed to the Strictly dancefloor than the pa lace ba l l room, understandably felt overawed.
“I t was the most surrea l experience of my life,” he says as his compelling memoir Jojo: Finally Home, which charts his journey from humble beginnings in a small South African township to international fame, is published this week.
Denne historien er fra September 11, 2023-utgaven av HELLO! UK.
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Denne historien er fra September 11, 2023-utgaven av HELLO! UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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OSCAR-WINNING FAMILY MAN - EDDIE REDMAYNE
GOES UNDERCOVER TO LEARN REAL-LIFE SPY SKILLS FOR DREAM ROLE
NEW ROYAL REVELATIONS THE KING IS REVEALED AS A 'KINDLY SOUL' WHO'S OPEN TO A RECONCILIATION WITH HARRY
They may have had a strained relationship in recent years, but reconciliation could finally be on the cards for the King and his son the Duke of Sussex-once Prince Harry's legal challenges are over.
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For World Kindness Day 2024, HELLO! is celebrating the selfless celebrities, campaigning royals and fabulous fundraisers who prove that being kind isn't determined by who you are, but by what you do. Introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, this special day on 13 November encourages us all to practise kindness in our daily lives, helping us nurture our feelings of empathy, understanding and compassion to create a more caring world.
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SAYS SHARING STORIES OF DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIPS HELPED HER BRING A STRUGGLING MUM TO LIFE
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A-LISTERS FLOCK TO LOS ANGELES FOR LACMA'S-GLITZY NIGHT OUT
MUSEUM SMASHES FUNDRAISING RECORD AS STARS GLITTER IN GUCCI