Strictly Come Dancing professional Katya Jones has revealed she considered quitting the BBC show after a heartbreaking last series, admitting she had "a lot of doubt" about returning for 2026.
The 37-year-old dancer, who has been on the programme for 11 series, is currently partnered with content creator John Nellis. Last year, she competed alongside Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope, and the pair reached the quarter-final stage before losing out to Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin in the dance-off.
Questioning Her Future
Speaking to MailOnline, Katya disclosed her reservations about returning for an 11th series. She said: "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 that significant expectations had been placed upon them, and they had envisaged reaching the final. She continued: "Then to have had it cut short was a little bit tough."
New Faces and Current Standings
Despite the departure of several other professionals, including Karen Hauer, Gorka Marquez, Nadiya Bychkova, and Luba Mushtuk, Katya opted to return. This year, audiences have been introduced to five new professionals and three new presenters - Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe.
Katya and John secured fourth position on the leaderboard prior to last weekend's initial elimination, with their scores from weeks one and two totalled. At the bottom of the standings, Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec had a combined score of 30, but the Gavin and Stacey actress avoided the dance-off.
Instead, Jaime Winstone and Chris Appleton faced the series' first dance-off. The judges unanimously chose to save Jaime, bringing Chris' journey on the BBC programme to a close 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.
