Strictly Come Dancing's Katya Jones opens up on romance since split from co-star

"It could be that men see me on television and are scared."

By Jacob Sarkisian

27 Nov 2022

Strictly Come Dancing star Katya Jones has opened up about her romantic life since her split from ex-husband and co-star Neil Jones.

In a new interview with The Daily Mail, Katya talked about her ex-husband Neil, who she was married to from 2013 until they split up in 2019. Neil has since gone on to date other women and is currently dating Love Island star Chyna Mills.

Katya, however, has said that she hasn't had a single date since her split from Neil. She attributes that – partly, at least – to her own "high standards."

tess, tony and katya stand on dancefloor and speak to judges on strictly, embargo 2001 sunday 13 november

Guy LevyBBC

"It could be that men see me on television and are scared, they think I’m unapproachable for some reason which is obviously not true. We are all just humans looking for love – but if they’re not brave enough then they’re not the one, so I will carry on waiting," Katya said.

"Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of time for dating while I’m competing, but I don’t want anyone unless they will add value to my life. I don’t want someone just to fill the gaps that I might have in my life, neither do I want to fill any of the gaps in theirs."

She continued: "Independence in a relationship is really important to me. Maybe that isn’t helpful but it’s quite simple; we are all just looking for love."

tony adams and katya jones on strictly come dancing, week 3

BBC

Katya and Neil are both professional dancers for Strictly Come Dancing and, despite their split, they still maintain a good friendship and a professional working relationship. This year, Katya exited in the seventh week of the show after her partner Tony Adams was forced to withdraw with an injury.

Neil wasn't partnered with a celebrity this year but last year, he was partnered with actress Nina Wadia. They were the first couple to be eliminated.

Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One, while spin-off show Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows also stream on BBC iPlayer.

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