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Former Strictly Come Dancing star John Whaite has explained why he now regrets joining OnlyFans.
Back in 2012, the baker won The Great British Bake Off, before going on to sign up for Strictly in 2019, where he was named runner-up with professional partner Johannes Radebe.
Last year he decided to join the over-18 social media site to share his content, but later deleted his account.
On Thursday John, 34, appeared on Steph’s Packed Lunch to help stand-in host Anna Maxwell Martin discuss the latest news headlines.
When conversation turned who whether or not they would be comfortable with a family member being on the adult-only subscription site, John explained more about his own experience.
‘I actually joined OnlyFans after getting drunk on holiday and I wanted more ownership of my career,’ he said.
John Whaite has shared more about his experience using OnlyFans (Picture: Channel 4)
He explained that while his family weren’t dismissive of him joining the site, they were quite worried.
‘How can you be a daytime presenter and cook with being on an adult-only site,’ he added.
While John said he didn’t want to detail the type of content he posted, he said it had felt ‘empowering’.
But he said getting into the site as a young person could lead to a ‘lack of direction’ after they spoke about instances of young women quitting studies or jobs to pursue a career on the site.
Later in the segment John later admitted he ‘regretted’ signing up for OnlyFans, saying he could have ‘very easily’ lost his job as a result.
‘Because of preconceived ideas but also because I joined OnlyFans after a mental breakdown after Strictly…it was to do with that and I don’t think I was in the best mind-set,’ he continued.
He explained how he created his account while ‘drunk on holiday’ (Picture: Brett D. Cove / SplashNews.com)
He later decided to delete his account before ‘anyone gets the wrong impression’.
When announcing his move to the platform in August last year, John said he wouldn’t be releasing porn and that his reason for moving some of his content to the website included the fact that he thought his ‘workout videos have a value’ and his ‘cheekier gym-progress posts’ were ‘more appropriately suited in an area where age-restriction is better handled’.
He said that while people may have ‘quite strong opinions’ about his decision, he asked that they ‘respect it and keep an open heart and an open mind’.
The former Bake Off winner appeared on Strictly with Johannes Radebe in 2021 (Picture: PA)
But two months later he decided to close his account after reports emerged that users of the platform were ‘able to exploit young children’.
‘While the claims are yet to be proven/refuted, I cannot morally continue to use a platform that is subject to such serious allegations,’ he said.
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‘Exploitation of children is abhorrent and it is incumbent on corporations such as OnlyFans to ensure they have the most advanced filter systems in place to prevent and report such activity.’
The site had previously said it used ‘state of the art technology and human monitoring’ to prevent children under 18 sharing content.
Steph’s Packed Lunch airs from 12pm on weekdays on Channel 4.
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‘I don’t think I was in the best mind-set.’
