Strictly Come Dancing star Neil Jones reflected on the year 2018 just ahead of New Year's Eve on Monday, and admitted that it wasn’t all that great. While there were many highlights over the past twelve months, Neil faced a media storm back in October after his wife Katya Jones was caught kissing her Strictly dance partner Seann Walsh. Neil chose not to speak about it, but he did say in a lengthy post that one of the downsides from his year was losing some friends. He wrote: "I gained sooo many new friends but I also lost a few, but I will never forget them." Neil also wrote about other big events, including his brother's wedding, taking part in another series of Strictly and creating his first dance show.
Strictly's Neil is married to fellow professional, Katya
MORE: See Neil and Katya Jones on their wedding day
While Neil also mentioned that he had some "not so fantastic" experiences in 2018 – most likely referring to Katya and Seann's kiss – he chose to post a defiant message on Instagram Stories, aimed at those who have slated Katya. He said: "Remember, if you are negative towards my wife then I don't want you in my life." Neil has remained by Katya's side since the kiss and even surprised her with an early visit to her parent's home in Saint Petersburg, where they celebrated the New Year together. The festivities included lots of dancing in the family home, with Katya's parents and her two dance teachers joining in too. Neil and Katya were thrilled to be reunited, having spent a few days apart over the Christmas period, with Katya in Russia with her family and Neil in London – where he attended his Strictly colleague Greg Frost's birthday party. Greg worked as a floor manager on the BBC One dance show and has appeared in many of Neil's backstage videos.
Neil surprised Katya by going to Russia earlier than planned
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Katya and Neil's new year will see them star as the protagonists of Somnium: A Dancer's Dream, which is dubbed an "explosive dance show" that depicts "a complicated modern love story". Katya and Neil will dance in the show for three dates in June at London's Sadler's Wells. Neil directed and choreographed the show based on their lives, and in a joint statement the couple said: "We all know that life and love is not perfect and as much we would like to say our journey together has been, you will be able to see first-hand the real struggles of our life together on the road to becoming World Champions."
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