Katya Jones has paid a sweet tribute to fellow Strictly Come Dancing star Luba Mushtuk. Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the professional dancer told her followers how the pair both kicked off their dancing careers together - and their paths managed to align again. "Here is a little story for you. There were two little girls living in Russia," she wrote alongside a childhood snap of the pair. "They loved dancing, they were friends, but they were fascinated by two different things. One loved Italy, another one loved England."
"But they just worked hard and did what they loved - dancing. Fast forward....Who knew that they will actually end up living in those countries," she added. "@lubamushtuk I found this picture and just thought - isn't it just so amusing how universe has its ways of making things happen... Now the circle has closed and we ended up together on the most amazing show in the world @bbcstrictly!" Katya, who has been married to Neil Jones since 2013, first appeared on Strictly in 2016 and went on to win the show with Joe McFadden a year later, while Luba officially joined the line-up in 2018 having previously acted as an assistant choreographer on the show for two years.
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Although Luba is yet to be paired with a celebrity, the Russian-born beauty has a wealth of experience. She is a four-time winner of the Italian Dance Championship and Italian Open Latin Show Dance champion. The dancer was ranked second in the European 10 Dance Championships and was a finalist in the Latin European Championship. Luba has also worked extensively with Broadway and West End show Burn The Floor.
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