Strictly Come Dancing professional Neil Jones has married Love Island star Chyna Mills in a second extravagant ceremony, held at the luxurious Villa San Michele in Florence, Italy. The couple, who legally wed in London on July 1, celebrated their union with a lavish Italian wedding, following in the footsteps of celebrities like Dua Lipa and Callum Turner.
Italian Wedding Details
The newlyweds shared glimpses of their nuptials on Instagram, with Chyna captioning the post 'Mr & Mrs Jones ♥️'. The bride wore a stunning white strapless gown with pockets and a flowing train. She walked down an aisle draped with velvet red curtains, surrounded by beautiful rose bouquet arrangements. Neil matched his wife's attire in a cream jacket and black bowtie, gazing at her lovingly as she approached him. Their daughter Havana, born in October 2023, was present for the ceremony, looking adorable in a white dress as she held her father's hand.
Absence of Family
The second wedding appeared devoid of guests, except for the family of three. This comes after reports that Neil's family was 'banned' from the first ceremony due to Chyna previously accusing his mother of 'bullying, racism, and disrespect'. Neil allegedly did not tell his parents or sister about the wedding. A source told The Sun: 'The whole thing is a massive shame... Neil's close and extended family were all there when he married his first wife, Katya Jones, in 2013; they divorced in 2019. It makes it even more painful that they have now been cut out completely. Most of them have been blocked by Chyna and Neil, so really have no idea what is going on in their lives at all, let alone about their wedding.'
Feud Background
In a statement in December, Chyna said she decided 'enough was enough' when her future mother-in-law 'ruined' Havana's baptism by refusing to attend. She claimed Helen 'ignored' her when she attempted to talk things over, calling the feud 'one-sided'. Chyna added: 'Havana's baptism was a special day, and his family chose not to attend out of loyalty to her and refused to acknowledge what's unfolded over the past few years. That's on them. But I won't accept negative comments or false narratives about my baby girl's special moments.' Neil's sister, Terri, defended their mother, telling the Daily Mail that 'the truth will come out eventually'.
Celebrity Witnesses
While the Jones family was absent, the couple enlisted two showbiz pals to serve as witnesses for their legal wedding in London: former Strictly contestants and engaged couple Tyler West and Molly Rainford. Molly commented on Chyna's Instagram post: 'Was an honour to be your witness Family 🤍' Fellow Strictly stars also congratulated the couple, with Oti Mabuse writing: 'You look like the most beautiful bride ❤️ congratulations', Alexis Warr adding: 'Absolute PERFECTION!😍🤍', and Tasha Ghouri saying: 'Wow!!! 😍😍😍 so so beautiful'.
Relationship Timeline
Neil and Chyna have been together for four years. She caught his eye when she appeared on ITV's Love Island in 2022. An infatuated Neil sent Chyna a DM, and they met for the first time at the Reality TV Awards, after which they went partying together. Neil proposed while holidaying in Bali in 2022, and they welcomed Havana in October 2023. When announcing their engagement, Chyna told Hello!: 'It still doesn't feel real. At first, I thought he was joking because we play jokes on each other all the time.' Neil added: 'I'd already planned to ask Chyna to marry me before we knew she was pregnant. Then we found out, and I was like, "Oh, this is brilliant; everything is coming together."'
