Strictly’s Katya Jones: her age, relationship and what happened with Wynne Evans’ ‘joke’

She's been a Strictly pro since 2016

Katya Jones and Wynne Evans

by Emily Vierke |
Updated on

Now that this year's Strictlyis underway, fans are already making guesses as to who will take home the much sought after Glitterball trophy.

One person we hope doesn't have to quit the show, like last year's series, is Russian dancer Katya Jones.

katya strictly
Katya joined Strictly in 2016 ©BBC

The professional was matched with Eastenders actor Nigel Harman in 2023, but the couple had to say goodbye after Nigel sustained a rib injury during training. This year, she will be dancing with opera singer Wynne Evans and we have high hopes. Kind of.

During her time on the show Katya has been caught up in her fair share of chaos, from THAT Seann Walsh drama to her rumoured feud with Tony Adams and now the Wynne Evans 'joke' that's seen them come under fire from fans.

But let's be honest, Strictly wouldn't be Strictly without the legend that is Katya Jones.

How old is Katya Jones?

Katya was born in St Petersburg, Russia on 12 May 1989, making the Strictly professional 35 years old.

When did Katya Jones join Strictly?

Katya joined as a Strictly professional in 2016 and won the show a year later with actor Joe McFadden.

Katya made history when she partnered with boxer Nicola Adams during Strictly 2020, becoming the first same sex dancing couple to feature on the show.

What happened with Katya Jones and Nigel Harman?

The professional dancer was matched with EastEnders actor Nigel Harman on last year's series of Strictly but the couple had to say goodbye after Nigel sustained a rib injury during training.

nigel and katya
nigel and katya ©Strictly Come Dancing 2023,25-11-2023,TX10 - LIVE SHOW,Nigel Harman & Katya Jones,BBC,Guy Levy

What happened with Katya Jones and Seann Walsh?

In 2018, Katya found herself in hot water when she was caught kissing her celebrity dance partner, comedian Seann Walsh.

Both Katya and Seann were in relationships at the time when they were photographed having a drunken kiss on a night out.

What happened with Katya Jones and Wynne Evans?

Katya is currently competing on Strictly with Wynne Evans, who's best known as the opera singer from the Go Compare adverts, but the pair sparked concern during the live show on Saturday 12 October when Wynne appeared to put his hands around Katya's waist and she moved them away. Later in the show, Wynne tried to high five Katya, but she refused to high five him back and appeared to look annoyed.

Fans on social media began speculating about what had happened, but Wynne and Katya released a video after the show to insist they had been joking around and it was all a big misunderstanding. Katya said, 'Hi everyone, it's Wynne and Katya here, we just wanted to say we were messing around in the clauditorium on Saturday night and we just want to say sorry. It was a silly joke.'

Who is Katya Jones' husband?

Katya was previously married to fellow dancer Neil Jones. Neil joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 as part of the group dances and became one of the professionals in 2019 when he was partnered with footballer, Alex Scott. Katya and Neil split in 2019 after six years of marriage.

What happened with Katya Jones and Tony Adams?

Russian born Katya was partnered with retired football legend Tony Adams for Strictly 2022 and the duo ended up having to address a reported feud after they were spotted in a tense conversation following their dance on one of the show's episodes.

Failing to create some heat with their salsa, Katya and Tony found themselves at the bottom of the leaderboard after receiving just 21 points for their Latin routine.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain, Tony joked, 'We constantly argue, don’t we?'

katya jones tony adams
Katya and Tony's salsa failed to impress the judges ©BBC

Katya sarcastically replied, 'We just don’t like each other at all, we don’t get on!'

Tony continued, 'We’ve had two months together now. She’s been training me and the routines she’s putting on are incredible. And sometimes when I miss a step, sometimes she’s a little bit over critical and I just want to have a good time as well.

'So I think it’s a balance between maybe letting me make a mistake and enjoying myself a little bit at times… I’m not an expert in this field.'

What is Katya Jones' Instagram?

You can keep up to date with Katya’s comings and goings on her official Instagram: @katyajones.

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