The professional dancer says she is “thrilled”
Strictly Come Dancing stars have shown their support for fellow professional dancer Katya Jones as she has issued a career announcement. The professional is renowned for her role as a member of the cast on the popular BBC programme. The 35-year old was partnered with opera singer, Wynne Evans on the latest series and became the eighth couple to leave the competition.
The two reprised their partnership for the live tour, which travelled across the UK earlier this year. However, the tour confirmed a last minute change as Mr Evans stepped away from the show.
Wynne apologised for making an “inappropriate” remark during the tour launch event on January 16. Katya continued on the tour and took part in the group dances for the remainder of the performances.
The professional dancer recently took to Instagram to update her 251,000 followers about the next step in her career. She shared a professional photograph of herself holding a large trophy for ‘Dancing with the Stars.’
She captioned the photograph: “I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be joining ‘Dancing with the Stars Belgium’ as a judge! @vtm.be. It’s time to bring my passion and knowledge to the panel and celebrate the art of dance that unites us all, celebrates diversity and brings people together. Teach me some Flemish words that I can use on the show?”
A number of Strictly stars showed their support for their co-star in her new TV role on the Belgium’s edition of the popular dance programme. It follows the same format of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, where celebrities are paired with professional dancers.
Dianne Buswell re-shared the post to her story as she wrote: “What an amazing judge she will be. Congrats @katyajones so excited for you.”
Dianne was partnered with comedian Chris McCausland. The couple went on to take home the glitterball trophy in a special moment, as Chris was the first ever blind contestant to take part in the show.
Amy Dowden also congratulated Katya: “Yes @katyajones. So happy for you! You deserve!” Gorka Maquez commented: “Amazing”, while Oti Mabuse added: “Yessssssssssssssssssss.”
Katya is following in Oti’s footsteps as she embarks on her judging career. Oti won the show with Kelvin Fletcher in 2019 and again with Bill Bailey in 2020. The professional dancer went on to become ‘Dance Captain on The Greatest Dancer, before landing a role as a judge on The Masked Dancer and on Dancing On Ice.
Earlier this year, Katya shared some snaps of her luxury trip to Western Australia. She appeared to be taking a well earned rest ahead of a busy schedule in Belgium.
She wrote: “I caught myself multiple times asking myself- what are your thoughts? And realising that there weren’t any. My mind wasn’t thinking about the past or a future.
“I was totally present in right here, right now. Watching my feet in a crystal clear water, listening to the sounds of nature, observing magnificent creatures of our planet, watching the sun rise and noticing the colours in paints the land into.
“Exploring the corners of our planet. Priceless moments that fill my cup, fill my heart, recharge me, ground me, balance me. What a blessing. What a privilege it is to be alive.”