Strictly Come Dancing professional Katya Jones appeared to show signs of disappointment and tension after her Halloween week Tango with celebrity partner John Nellis, according to body language expert Judi James. The couple scored 35 points on Saturday night, coming close to topping the leaderboard.
They were narrowly beaten to the top spot by Lacey Turner, who earned 36 points for her Charleston with Vito Coppola. Despite the strong score, James suggested Katya may have been putting on a brave face.
Body language signals
Speaking to the Daily Express on behalf of Paddy Power, James likened Katya's body language after the performance to a "cat that's about to be sick", and said she believed the professional was displaying "disappointment".
"While John does seem to be enjoying the spotlight, and as he picks up good scores, Katya's body language is suggesting some tension behind the scenes, primarily for her," the expert said.
"The couple performed a double 'high five' behind the screen at the end of their dance, but when Katya appeared around the screen her back was hunched, her fingers rigid and splayed and her mouth opened wide and aimed downward, like a cat that's about to be sick," Judi continued.
Concerns over judges' feedback
James suggested Katya was concerned about what the judges would say in their feedback, believing she was "braced for the worst".
"Katya suddenly looked down as they went to the judges for their comments and this eye cut-off plus the way her hand gripped John's shoulder hard, suggested she might have been braced for the worst," the expert went on. "Her expression suggested pain and she kept puffing air from her mouth as though stressed."
Despite ending the night second from top of the leaderboard, James suggested Katya has a desire to prove that John can offer more. "The couple did get excellent scores, but Katya's body signals suggest she knows John could have plateaued and that she needs to prove he can achieve even more," she added.
John's reaction
After making it through to next week, John penned on Instagram: "THANK YOU SO MUCH. Happy Halloween everyone, hope you had as much fun as we did. Absolutely ecstatic to get our highest score so far, and hopefully it's just the beginning really appreciate every single vote you gave us - thank you, thank you, thank you!"
The social media personality and YouTuber added: "Back to the grind tomorrow morning."
