Strictly Come Dancing professional Katya Jones has revealed the devastation she felt during last year's series, which left her questioning whether she would return to the BBC programme. The dancer, who has been part of the show since 2016, is currently paired with content creator John Nellis in the current series.
Last year, viewers saw her compete alongside Emmerdale star Lewis Cope. The pair progressed deep into the competition before their elimination in the quarter-finals, following a dance-off against Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin. Now, the 37-year-old has told MailOnline that she harboured reservations about returning for an 11th series.
Katya's doubts about returning
She remarked: "Every year, I do question myself, like really think, 'Are you ready for this really intense, really all-consuming thing again and again and again and again?"
"Every time I ask myself, and if the answer is still yes, I'll be here doing it. And I must say, last year I was very heartbroken. So there was a lot of doubt, like, 'Can I face it again?'"
Katya acknowledged there had been 'high' expectations placed upon them, with both believing they could go the distance. She continued: "Then to have had it cut short was a little bit tough."
New faces on the show
Nevertheless, Katya chose to return for another year, despite the departure of numerous other professionals, including Karen Hauer, Gorka Marquez, Nadiya Bychkova, and Luba Mushtuk, reports Wales Online. This year, audiences have been introduced to five fresh professionals and three new presenters - Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe.
Katya and John found themselves in fourth place on the leaderboard ahead of the initial elimination last weekend, when their scores from the first two weeks were combined. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec were trailing behind with a total score of 30.
First elimination of the series
However, the Gavin and Stacey star avoided the dance-off and secured another week in the contest, as Jaime Winstone and Chris Appleton faced off in the series' first dance-off. Ultimately, the decision to save Jaime was unanimous, marking the end of Chris' stint on the BBC programme alongside his professional partner Amy Dowden.
Reflecting on their departure at the time, Amy said: "Watching Chris grow in confidence, although it was short-lived, only two weeks, that is what I'll take away. Obviously, I'm heartbroken. This seems to be my luck the last few years, but my heart is only breaking because I don't get to dance with you on Monday."
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday on BBC One from 6:15pm.
