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Katya Jones

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Katya Jones
Born
Ekaterina Andreevna Sokolova

(1989-05-12) 12 May 1989 (age 35)
Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
NationalityRussian
Occupation(s)Dancer, choreographer
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2013; sep. 2019)​

Katya Jones (born Ekaterina Andreevna Sokolova; Russian: Екатерина Андреевна Соколова; 12 May 1989)[1] is a Russian dancer and choreographer.[2] She is best known for being a professional dancer in the competition show Strictly Come Dancing, which she won in 2017 with her dance partner Joe McFadden. In the 2020 series, Jones was paired with the retired professional and Olympic champion boxer Nicola Adams, the first same-sex couple to compete in the UK competition's format.

Between August 2013 and August 2019 she was married to Neil Jones, a dancer and fellow cast member of Strictly Come Dancing.

Early life

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She was born in Sestroretsk,[citation needed] near Leningrad, Soviet Union, and started dancing at the age of six, training in gymnastics as well as Ballroom and Latin-American dancing.[3] Her father is Russian and a senior oil company executive and her Korean mother is a graduate in engineering.[4]

Strictly Come Dancing

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In 2016, Jones became a professional in the BBC ballroom dancing show Strictly Come Dancing for its 14th series.[5] Jones was partnered with the former Shadow chancellor, Ed Balls. For the 15th series, Jones partnered the Holby City actor, Joe McFadden, where they were the series winners.[6] For the 16th series, Jones partnered the comedian Seann Walsh and for the 17th series, she was partnered with the BBC sports presenter, Mike Bushell.

In the 18th series, Jones was part of the show's first same-sex couple, with the professional boxer Nicola Adams.[2] They withdrew from the competition on 12 November, after Jones tested positive for COVID-19. She was partnered with the Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty for the 19th series. For series 20 she was partnered with former England footballer and manager Tony Adams. They withdrew during the week 8 results show due to Tony sustaining a hamstring injury during his original performance.

Highest- and lowest-scoring performances per dance

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Dance Partner Highest score Partner Lowest score
American Smooth Joe McFadden 35 Mike Bushell 14
Argentine Tango Joe McFadden 35 Adam Peaty 32
Cha-Cha-Cha Adam Peaty
Nigel Harman
Wynne Evans 		30 Mike Bushell 18
Charleston Joe McFadden 40 Tony Adams 22
Couple's Choice Nigel Harman 34 Nicola Adams 32
Foxtrot Joe McFadden 32 Nigel Harman 29
Jive Joe McFadden 29 Seann Walsh 15
Paso Doble Joe McFadden 35 Ed Balls 16
Quickstep Joe McFadden 38 Adam Peaty 19
Rumba Joe McFadden
Nigel Harman 		33 Adam Peaty 20
Salsa Joe McFadden 34 Tony Adams 21
Samba Joe McFadden 37 Tony Adams 18
Showdance Joe McFadden 39
Something-athon Joe McFadden 6 Ed Balls 1
Tango Wynne Evans 34 Tony Adams 15
Viennese Waltz Joe McFadden 39 Seann Walsh 20
Waltz Ed Balls 21
Series Partner Place Average score
14 Ed Balls 6th 22.6
15 Joe McFadden 1st 33.8
16 Seann Walsh 11th 22.5
17 Mike Bushell 8th 23.5
18 Nicola Adams 10th 28.3
19 Adam Peaty 9th 26.6
20 Tony Adams 9th 22.0
21 Nigel Harman 5th 30.7
22 Wynne Evans 8th 30.8

Ed Balls

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She partnered the politician Ed Balls for the 14th series of Strictly Come Dancing.

  • Red number indicates Ed and Katya were at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Joe McFadden

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She partnered actor Joe McFadden for the 15th series of Strictly Come Dancing.

  • Green number indicates Joe and Katya were at the top of the leaderboard.

Seann Walsh

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She partnered the comedian and actor Seann Walsh for the 16th series of Strictly Come Dancing.

  • Red number indicates Seann and Katya were at the bottom of the leaderboard.
^A Alfonso Ribeiro filled in for Tonioli

Mike Bushell

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She partnered the television presenter Mike Bushell for the 17th series of Strictly Come Dancing.

  • Red number indicates Mike and Katya were at the bottom of the leaderboard.
^A Alfonso Ribeiro filled in for Tonioli

Nicola Adams

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She partnered the boxer Nicola Adams for the 18th series of Strictly Come Dancing. They had to leave the competition after week 3 when Jones tested positive for COVID-19.

Adam Peaty

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From September 2021, she partnered the Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty for the 19th series of Strictly Come Dancing. They reached week 7, coming ninth.[7]

Tony Adams

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From September 2022, she partnered former England men's association football captain Tony Adams for the 20th series of Strictly Come Dancing. On week 8, they were announced in the bottom two against Tyler West (who was partnered with Dianne Buswell). However, they did not compete in the dance-off due to Adams sustaining a hamstring injury, subsequently leading him to withdraw from the competition.

  • Red number indicates Tony and Katya were at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Nigel Harman

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From September 2023, she was partnered by stage and screen actor Nigel Harman for the 21st series of Strictly Come Dancing. On week 11, just hours before the live show, Harman had to withdraw from the competition after sustaining a rib injury during rehearsals.[8]

  • Green number indicates Nigel and Katya were at the top of the leaderboard.

Wynne Evans

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From September 2024, she was partnered by opera singer and BBC Radio Wales presenter Wynne Evans on the 22nd series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Tour

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Jones took part in the national Strictly Come Dancing – The Live Tour in 2024.[9]

In 2024, it was announced she would be appearing at Donahey's Dancing with The Stars Weekends in 2025.[10]

Other television appearances

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She appeared as a contestant in Celebrity Masterchef in 2022.[11]

In April 2023, she appeared in series five of Celebrity Hunted, partnered with Olympic snowboarder Aimee Fuller, and was eliminated in the fifth episode.[12]

Stage performances

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Jones starred in the dance show Somnium: A Dancer's Dream,[13] directed and choreographed by Neil Jones. The show was performed from 20 to 22 June 2019 at Sadler's Wells Theatre. She has also acted in various pantomimes.[14]

Personal life

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Jones married her boyfriend of five years, Neil Jones, a dancer and fellow cast member of Strictly Come Dancing, on 3 August 2013.[15] In October 2018, a video and photographs of Jones kissing her celebrity Strictly partner, Seann Walsh, were published.[16] On 18 August 2019, Jones and her husband announced that they had separated.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "BBC One - Strictly Come Dancing - Katya Jones". BBC. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Katya Jones & Neil Jones - BBC Strictly Come Dancing Pro Dancers". Donahey's. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  3. ^ "2016 Strictly Professional Dancer line up revealed!". 28 June 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Katya Jones: the 'fierce' ambition behind Team Glitterballs". The Guardian. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Strictly Come Dancing celebrities at red carpet launch". BBC News. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  6. ^ Westbrook, Caroline (16 December 2017). "The Strictly Come Dancing 2017 winner has been crowned". Metro. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  7. ^ "BBC One - Strictly Come Dancing - Adam Peaty". BBC. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
    - "BBC One - Strictly Come Dancing, Series 19, Week 7 Results". BBC. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  8. ^ Vernon, Hayden. "Nigel Harman withdraws from Strictly Come Dancing". theguardian.com. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  9. ^ Laws, Roz (19 January 2017). "First look at Strictly tour and what they're dancing". birmingham Mail. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  10. ^ "4* Weekend Break featuring the stars of BBC Strictly Come Dancing". Donahey's. December 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Celebrity MasterChef 2022 line-up: Meet the full cast". RadioTimes.
  12. ^ "Famous Fugitives confirmed for new series of Celebrity Hunted for Stand Up To Cancer". Channel 4. 10 March 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  13. ^ "Somnium: A Dancer's Dream". Sadler's Wells Theatre. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Star cast announced for Blackburn's biggest ever pantomime". Blackburn BID. 8 September 2021.
  15. ^ Davies, Alex (12 September 2016). "Katya Jones and Neil Jones relationship: Strictly dancers discuss baby plans". OK!. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  16. ^ "Ex-girlfriend of Strictly Come Dancing star Seann Walsh says she is 'no victim'". Sky News. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  17. ^ "Strictly Come Dancing's Neil and Katya Jones announce split". BBC News. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
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