Former Strictly Come Dancing champion Katya Jones shared a series of short videos to her Instagram stories on Friday that proved she and her professional dance partner Neil Jones still have a friendly relationship despite ending their marriage earlier this year. The clips began with Katya sitting on the carpeted floor of a hallway in a yellow dress, saying: "Not only are we rehearsing with our partners for eight or nine hours…"
Katya and Neil are continuing to dance together despite their split
She then panned the camera to reveal Neil, who was sitting on the floor nearby. Katya went on: "We're still doing our roadshows and dancing!" Neil, who was also dressed for a performance in bright blue trousers and a matching waistcoat with blue and red shoes, held up his phone. "And also I'm just watching a video of Alex," he added, referring to his celebrity partner, footballer Alex Scott.
"That's right, we're studying, show me, show me," Katya said. "Can I see Mike?" Neil asked. "No!" Katya responded. "Then you're not seeing Alex," he told her. Katya then looked at the camera and addressed both Alex and her partner this year, BBC sport presenter Mike Bushell. "We're going to give you notes tomorrow," she said. Neil agreed and said Alex could take the night off from rehearsing, but Katya is a sterner taskmaster. "No, Mike, no night off for you," she argued, as Neil said "Wow."
The former couple are both competing on Strictly this year
Katya captioned the first video: "Always thinking of you guys," tagging Alex and Mike. For the second she added: "@alexscott you can rest apparently, @mikebushellofficial you better be practicing!" She captioned the third: "@mikebushellofficial Give Me 5!!! You know what I mean." The 30-year-old is clearly hoping she might be on the path to success again this year, having lifted the glitterball with actor Joe McFadden in 2017. This year marks Neil's first series with a celebrity partner, something fans of the show had been clamouring for.
The former couple were together for 11 years and married for six before announcing their separation in August. They posted a joint statement to both of their Instagram accounts which said, in part: "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."
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