Strictly Come Dancing's John Nellis and Katya Jones could face a "huge problem" despite impressing judges with their debut Foxtrot, according to body language expert Judi James.
Social media sensation John Nellis, a 33-year-old Northern Irish YouTuber, delivered a Foxtrot to Alex Warren's 'Ordinary' that earned a total score of 31 and rocketed the couple to the top of the leaderboard. Judges Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas leapt to their feet, while Anton Du Beke called the routine "extraordinary".
Expert warns of 'early success syndrome'
Delivering her analysis of week one through her blog, Judi James observed how Katya "excels in creating winners", yet the "huge problem she has" is "the curse of the 'early success syndrome'". The specialist elaborated: "John has shown promise and that will be enough to trigger Katya's capacity for hard work and grit to get to the final.
"She gave huge back pats at the end of the dance to reward John, but there was a very telling body language signal in terms of how he will be spending the next few weeks." Judi pointed out Katya's "clawed hand", which revealed her "strong desire to make him a winner", and noted how "that clawed hand was then pressed into his chest to show how hard they would work together to achieve a win".
Couple's bond and reaction
Judi continued: "The huge problem she now has is the curse of the 'early success syndrome'. Celebs that start as strongly as this raise expectations for the next show and often struggle to recapture their initial form and sustain it through the long run. If anyone can do it, though, it's Katya."
Katya has been a Strictly member since 2016 and won the competition in 2017 with actor Joe McFadden. Apart from that triumph, she has not reached the final again, with her best result being fifth place.
After his debut, John posted on Instagram: "Last night was definitely out of the ordinary. Can't thank you all enough for being so kind." Katya replied: "So proud of you, partner."
Score carries into week two
Host Johannes Radebe told Katya the routine was "not an easy routine", but she said: "What I love the most about my job, about this show, is to see the potential and put my heart and soul into moments like that when you finish and you feel proud of yourself. So you can see that transformation. I think we could all agree that's why we are here."
John praised his partner, declaring: "It's all down to Katya, honestly. Twelve days ago, I had never danced, and she made me do that, so." The duo's highest score rolls over to tonight's programme and will be added to their week two tally before the first pair of 2026 faces elimination in Sunday's results show. Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One tonight at 6.15pm.
