Katya Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ekaterina Andreevna Sokolova (1989-05-12)12 May 1989 (age 36) |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer, choreographer |
| Spouse | |
Katya Jones (bornEkaterina Andreevna Sokolova;Russian:Екатерина Андреевна Соколова; 12 May 1989)[1] is aRussiandancer andchoreographer.[2] She is best known for being a professional dancer in the competition showStrictly Come Dancing, which she won in 2017 with her dance partnerJoe McFadden. In the2020 series, Jones was paired with the retired professional and Olympic champion boxerNicola Adams, the first same-sex couple to compete in the UK competition's format.
Between August 2013 and August 2019 she was married toNeil Jones, a dancer and fellow cast member ofStrictly Come Dancing.
She was born inSestroretsk,[citation needed] nearLeningrad, Soviet Union, and started dancing at the age of six, training in gymnastics as well as Ballroom and Latin-American dancing.[3] Her father isRussian and a senior oil company executive and herKorean mother is a graduate in engineering.[4]
In 2016, Jones became a professional in the BBC ballroom dancing showStrictly Come Dancing for its14th series.[5] Jones was partnered with the formerShadow chancellor,Ed Balls. For the15th series, Jones partnered theHolby City actor,Joe McFadden, where they were the series winners.[6] For the16th series, Jones partnered the comedianSeann Walsh and for the17th series, she was partnered with the BBC sports presenter,Mike Bushell.
In the18th series, Jones was part of the show's first same-sex couple, with the professional boxerNicola Adams.[2] They withdrew from the competition on 12 November, after Jones tested positive forCOVID-19. She was partnered with the Olympic swimmerAdam Peaty for the19th series. Forseries 20 she was partnered with former England footballer and managerTony Adams. They withdrew during the week 8 results show due to Tony sustaining a hamstring injury during his original performance.
| Dance | Partner | Highest score | Partner | Lowest score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Smooth | Joe McFadden | 35 | Mike Bushell | 14 |
| Argentine Tango | Joe McFadden | 35 | Adam Peaty | 32 |
| Cha-Cha-Cha | Lewis Cope | 35 | Mike Bushell | 18 |
| Charleston | Joe McFadden | 40 | Tony Adams | 22 |
| Lewis Cope | ||||
| Couple's Choice | Lewis Cope | 40 | Nicola Adams | 32 |
| Foxtrot | Lewis Cope | 34 | Nigel Harman | 29 |
| Jive | Joe McFadden | 29 | Seann Walsh | 15 |
| Paso Doble | Lewis Cope | 37 | Ed Balls | 16 |
| Quickstep | Joe McFadden | 38 | Adam Peaty | 19 |
| Rumba | Joe McFadden Nigel Harman | 33 | Adam Peaty | 20 |
| Salsa | Joe McFadden | 34 | Tony Adams | 21 |
| Samba | Joe McFadden | 37 | Tony Adams | 18 |
| Showdance | Joe McFadden | 39 | ||
| Something-athon | Joe McFadden | 6 | Ed Balls | 1 |
| Tango | Lewis Cope | 37 | Tony Adams | 15 |
| Viennese Waltz | Joe McFadden | 39 | Seann Walsh | 20 |
| Waltz | Ed Balls | 21 |
| Series | Partner | Place | Average score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Ed Balls | 6th | 22.6 |
| 15 | Joe McFadden | 1st | 33.8 |
| 16 | Seann Walsh | 11th | 22.5 |
| 17 | Mike Bushell | 8th | 23.5 |
| 18 | Nicola Adams | 10th | 28.3 |
| 19 | Adam Peaty | 9th | 26.6 |
| 20 | Tony Adams | 9th | 22.0 |
| 21 | Nigel Harman | 5th | 30.7 |
| 22 | Wynne Evans | 8th | 30.8 |
| 23 | Lewis Cope |
Colour key:
She partnered the politicianEd Balls for the14th series ofStrictly Come Dancing.
| Week # | Dance / song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Goodman | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Waltz / "Are You Lonesome Tonight" | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 21 | No elimination |
| 2 | Charleston / "The Banjo's Back in Town" | 3 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 23 | Safe |
| 3 | Samba /Cuban Pete song from "The Mask" | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 24 | Safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble / "Holding Out for a Hero" | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16 | Safe |
| 5 | American Smooth / "Is This the Way to Amarillo" | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 18 | Safe |
| 6 | Cha-cha-cha / "Love Potion No. 9" | 4 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 26 | Safe |
| 7 | Quickstep / "Help!" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Safe |
| 8 | Salsa / "Gangnam Style" | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 25 | Safe |
| 9 | Jive / "Great Balls of Fire" | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 23 | Safe |
| 10 | Tango / "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" Cha-cha-cha Challenge / "I Like It Like That" | 4 Awarded | 6 1 | 7 extra | 6 point | 23 24 | Eliminated |
She partnered actorJoe McFadden for the15th series ofStrictly Come Dancing.
| Week # | Dance / song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Ballas | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Jive / "Rockin' Robin" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 29 | No elimination |
| 2 | Tango / "Castle on the Hill" | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 22 | Safe |
| 3 | Viennese Waltz / "Somewhere My Love" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe |
| 4 | Cha-cha-cha / "You Keep Me Hangin' On" | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 24 | Safe |
| 5 | Paso Doble / "Diablo Rojo" | 7 | 9 | 10 | N/A | 26 | Safe |
| 6 | Foxtrot / "Trouble" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe |
| 7 | Charleston / "Alexander's Ragtime Band" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 | Safe |
| 8 | Rumba / "One" | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 33 | Safe |
| 9 | Salsa / "Ride on Time" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 10 | Quickstep / "Jumpin' Jack" Paso Doble-a-thon / "España cañí" | 9 Awarded | 9 6 | 10 extra | 10 points | 38 44 | Safe |
| 11 | Samba / "Money" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 37 | Safe |
| 12 | American Smooth / "Have You Met Miss Jones?" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| Argentine Tango / "Human" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | ||
| 13 | Viennese Waltz / "Somewhere My Love" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Winners |
| Showdance / "You Make My Dreams" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | ||
| Charleston / "Alexander's Ragtime Band" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | ||
She partnered the comedian and actorSeann Walsh for the16th series ofStrictly Come Dancing.
| Week # | Dance / song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Bussell | Ballas | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Tango / "SexyBack" | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 18 | No elimination |
| 2 | Jive / "I'm Still Standing" | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 15 | Safe |
| 3 | Paso Doble / "The Matrix (Theme)" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Safe |
| 4 | Charleston / "Bills" | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| 5 | Quickstep / "Lightning Bolt" | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7A | 24 | Bottom Two |
| 6 | Viennese Waltz / "I Put a Spell on You" | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 20 | Eliminated |
She partnered the television presenterMike Bushell for the17th series ofStrictly Come Dancing.
| Week # | Dance / song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Tonioli | ||||
| 1 | Jive / "Do You Love Me" | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 22 | No elimination |
| 2 | American Smooth / "Rhinestone Cowboy" | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 14 | Safe |
| 3 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "It's Raining Men" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | Safe |
| 4 | Quickstep / "Come On Eileen" | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe |
| 5 | Samba / "Apache (Jump on It)" | 3 | 6 | 5 | 7A | 21 | Bottom Two |
| 6 | Tango / "What You Waiting For? | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Bottom Two |
| 7 | Charleston / "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Bottom Two |
| 8 | Paso Doble / "Tamacun" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 25 | Eliminated |
She partnered the boxerNicola Adams for the18th series ofStrictly Come Dancing. They had to leave the competition after week 3 when Jones tested positive for COVID-19.
| Week # | Dance / song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Ballas | Mabuse | ||||
| 1 | Quickstep / "Get Happy" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | No elimination |
| 2 | Street / "Shine" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 24 | Safe |
| 3 | Jive / "Grease Lightning" | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 | Bottom Two |
| 4 | American Smooth / "Stand By Me" | - | - | - | - | Withdrew |
From September 2021, she partnered the Olympic swimmerAdam Peaty for the19th series ofStrictly Come Dancing. They reached week 7, coming ninth.[7]
| Week no. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Du Beke | ||||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "Beggin'" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | No elimination |
| 2 | Quickstep / "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 19 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba / "I See You" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 20 | Safe |
| 4 | Argentine Tango / "Tango in the Night" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe |
| 5 | Samba / "Faith" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 29 | Safe |
| 6 | Viennese Waltz / "Moonlight Sonata" | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 29 | Bottom two |
| 7 | Jive / "Little Bitty Pretty One" | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Eliminated |
From September 2022, she partnered former England men's association football captainTony Adams for the20th series ofStrictly Come Dancing. On week 8, they were announced in the bottom two againstTyler West (who was partnered withDianne Buswell). However, they did not compete in the dance-off due to Adams sustaining a hamstring injury, subsequently leading him to withdraw from the competition.
| Week no. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Du Beke | ||||
| 1 | Tango / "Go West" | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 15 | No elimination |
| 2 | Charleston / "My Old Man's a Dustman" | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 22 | Safe |
| 3 | Samba / "You Sexy Thing" | 2 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 18 | Safe |
| 4 | American Smooth / "With a Little Help from My Friends" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 26 | Safe |
| 5 | Cha-cha-cha /Grandstand Theme" | 3 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 19 | Safe |
| 6 | Quickstep / "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 7 | Salsa / "I Know You Want Me" | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 21 | Safe |
| 8 | Jive / "Land of 1000 Dances" | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 24 | Withdrew |
From September 2023, she was partnered by stage and screen actorNigel Harman for the21st series ofStrictly Come Dancing. On week 11, just hours before the live show, Harman had to withdraw from the competition after sustaining a rib injury during rehearsals.[8]
| Week no. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Du Beke | ||||
| 1 | Paso Doble / "Smells Like Teen Spirit" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | No elimination |
| 2 | Viennese Waltz / "Until I Found You" | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 | Safe |
| 3 | Jive / "Theme fromBatman" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 25 | Safe |
| 4 | Salsa / "Suavemente" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 33 | Safe |
| 5 | Foxtrot / "I Just Want to Make Love to You" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 29 | Safe |
| 6 | Cha-cha-cha / "I Was Made for Lovin' You" | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 30 | Safe |
| 7 | Tango / "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 33 | Safe |
| 8 | Couple's Choice / "Just the Way You Are" | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 9 | Quickstep / "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 10 | Rumba / "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 33 | Safe |
| 11 | Charleston / "Step in Time" | - | - | - | - | - | Withdrew |
From September 2024, she was partnered by opera singer andBBC Radio Wales presenterWynne Evans on the22nd series ofStrictly Come Dancing.
| Week no. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Du Beke | ||||
| 1 | Samba / "Help Yourself" | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 | No elimination |
| 2 | Viennese waltz / "The Blue Danube" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Safe |
| 3 | Cha-cha-cha / "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Safe |
| 4 | Tango / "Money, Money, Money" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 34 | Safe |
| 5 | Quickstep / "Mr. Blue Sky" | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 33 | Safe |
| 6 | Salsa / "Canned Heat" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 7 | Rumba / "This Is My Life" | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30 | Safe |
| 8 | American Smooth / "Grace Kelly" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 32 | Bottom two |
| 9 | Charleston /Les toréadors | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Eliminated |
From September 2025, she was partnered with formerEmmerdale actorLewis Cope on the23rd series ofStrictly Come Dancing.
| Week no. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Mabuse | Ballas | Du Beke | ||||
| 1 | Jive / "Get Ready" | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | No elimination |
| 2 | Viennese waltz / "Lose Control" | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 | Safe |
| 3 | Paso Doble / "The Plaza of Execution" | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 37 | Safe |
| 4 | Foxtrot / "L-O-V-E" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 34 | Safe |
| 5 | Quickstep / "Ring of Fire" | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 34 | Safe |
| 6 | Couple's Choice / "Creep" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | Safe |
| 7 | Cha-cha-cha / "I like It Like That" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| 8 | Tango / "12 to 12" | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 37 | Safe |
| 9 | Charleston / "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | No Elimination |
| 10 | TBA | TBD | |||||
Jones took part in the nationalStrictly Come Dancing – The Live Tour in 2024.[9]
In 2024, it was announced she would be appearing at Donahey's Dancing with The Stars Weekends in 2025.[10]
She appeared as a contestant inCelebrity Masterchef in 2022.[11]
In April 2023, she appeared inseries five ofCelebrity Hunted, partnered with Olympic snowboarderAimee Fuller, and was eliminated in the fifth episode.[12] In 2025, Jones, alongside fellow Strictly professionalNancy Xu, starred in the short filmDakota Stone.
Jones starred in the dance showSomnium: A Dancer's Dream,[13] directed and choreographed by Neil Jones. The show was performed from 20 to 22 June 2019 atSadler's Wells Theatre. She has also acted in variouspantomimes.[14]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Dakota Stone | Carolina | Main cast |
Jones married her boyfriend of five years,Neil Jones, a dancer and fellow cast member ofStrictly Come Dancing, on 3 August 2013.[15] In October 2018, a video and photographs of Jones kissing her celebrityStrictly partner,Seann Walsh, were published.[16] On 18 August 2019, Jones and her husband announced that they had separated.[17]