The 2019 series of Strictly Come Dancing has officially begun! This is the first time we've seen all the cast together, including Neil and Katya Jones who separated in August after six years of marriage. The two put on a united front on Saturday's show, and looked happier than ever as they danced away to Kylie.
In August, Katya and Neil again proved that they remain good friends, despite their split. Katya took to Instagram to share a snap of herself, Neil, Amy Dowden, Dianne Bushwell and Nancy Xu all in the same car together on the way to a summer Strictly event. She captioned the post: "Redheads on the way to the red carpet. So excited for this."
© Photo: InstagramKatya still shares pictures of her ex on her Instagram
The pair announced that they had decided to separate earlier in August, and released a joint statement which read: "Hi everyone. As our fans and loyal supporters, you are really important to us and so we wanted to let you know some news. After 11 years, we have made the mutual decision to separate. We will always love each other, just in a different way as friends. This will never change what a great team we make and we are really proud of everything we have achieved together." The shocking news came just days after the pair celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary.
MORE: Katya Jones reunites with ex-husband Neil ahead of Strictly launch
© Photo: InstagramSo does Neil!
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Their relationship had come under scrutiny ever since Katya was pictured kissing her Strictly dance partner Seann Walsh during a night out in 2018, but the pair chose to stay together at the time. Speaking exclusively to HELLO! shortly after the incident, Neil said that he could accept that people make mistakes. "I think, for me, I can accept people make mistakes. I came from a divorced family and my mum was always strong and said: 'People make mistakes in their lives. Don't react, try to understand.' So that is how it always is for me," he said. The dancer added: "All the way through people were saying: 'Neil isn’t saying anything,' but I didn’t need to. People don’t know Katya like I do."
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