Strictly Come Dancing star Katya Jones opens up about the fallout from some of her biggest headline-making moments on the series, including so-called kiss-gate with Seann Walsh
Katya Jones became embroiled in one of the most talked-about scandals in Strictly Come Dancing’s history when she was photographed during a night out with her celebrity partner Seann Walsh. Katya and Seann were teamed up in 2018, but their time on the dancefloor was eclipsed by talk of the ‘Strictly curse’ when they were snapped sharing a kiss outside a London pub.
The incident led to the end of the comedian’s relationship to actress Rebecca Humphries, whose credits include The Crown and Friday Night Dinner. At the time, Katya was married to fellow Strictly pro Neil Jones but they separated the following year. Now, in an exclusive chat with OK!, Russian-born Katya reveals a piece of memorable advice her mum delivered to her at one of her lowest moments.
While she’s usually able to separate her “public life” from what happens in her “real life”, Katya admitted that at one time she struggled with the intense attention.
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“I remember, about a year after the first big scandal, I read some silly online comments and had a breakdown in my car,” she recalls. “I FaceTimed my mum, who was in a gym class and I couldn’t get my words out.
“I was probably looking for sympathy and soft words but my mum knows me so well. She said, ‘Stop crying! Do you think everybody’s going to be nice to you? No. So wipe your tears and go and crack on with your job. You’re good at it and you signed up to it.’ It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it worked. What I needed in that moment was a kick up the a**e from my mum!”.
Katya, who also became embroiled in last year’s drama about the on-and-off-screen conduct of her partner Wynne Evans, said she’s had to work on herself over the last five or so years, and is in a very happy place today.
Despite some of the trickier moments, she also revealed she made a promise to herself when she joined Strictly – and credits it with helping her reach her 10-year Strictly anniversary this year.
“When I joined, I told myself I must stay true to myself,” she shares. “Pretending to be someone else is hard work and I didn’t need that on top of such an intense job. I’d like to say I’ve remained myself, on and off the show. That’s what has allowed me to do it for 10 years.”
She also revealed she wouldn’t “change a thing” about her experience, adding: “It’s all shaped me into the person I am today,” she says, before adding with a devilish laugh, “and there are a lot of fun stories for dinner parties!”
Source: Mirror
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