Katya Jones

Katya Jones is a Russian dancer and choreographer. She is best known for being a professional dancer in the competition show Strictly Come Dancing, which she won in 2017 with her dance partner Joe McFadden. In the 2020 series, Jones was paired with the retired professional and Olympic champion boxer Nicola Adams, the first same-sex couple to compete in the UK competition's format.
Between August 2013 and August 2019 she was married to Neil Jones, a dancer and fellow cast member of Strictly Come Dancing.

Early life

She was born in Sestroretsk, near Leningrad, Soviet Union, and started dancing at the age of six, training in gymnastics as well as Ballroom and Latin-American dancing. Her father is Russian and a senior oil company executive and her Korean mother is a graduate in engineering.

''Strictly Come Dancing''

In 2016, Jones became a professional in the BBC ballroom dancing show Strictly Come Dancing for its 14th series. Jones was partnered with the former Shadow chancellor, Ed Balls. For the 15th series, Jones partnered the Holby City actor, Joe McFadden, where they were the series winners. For the 16th series, Jones partnered the comedian Seann Walsh and for the 17th series, she was partnered with the BBC sports presenter, Mike Bushell.
In the 18th series, Jones was part of the show's first same-sex couple, with the professional boxer Nicola Adams. They withdrew from the competition on 12 November, after Jones tested positive for COVID-19. She was partnered with the Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty for the 19th series. For series 20 she was partnered with former England footballer and manager Tony Adams. They withdrew during the week 8 results show due to Tony sustaining a hamstring injury during his original performance.

Highest and lowest scoring performances per dance

is the only celebrity not to appear on this list.

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	5th	34.8

'''Colour key:'''

Ed Balls

She partnered the politician Ed Balls for the 14th series of Strictly Come Dancing.
;* number indicates Ed and Katya were at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Joe McFadden

She partnered actor Joe McFadden for the 15th series of Strictly Come Dancing.
;* number indicates Joe and Katya were at the top of the leaderboard.

Seann Walsh

She partnered the comedian and actor Seann Walsh for the 16th series of Strictly Come Dancing.
;* number indicates Seann and Katya were at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Mike Bushell

She partnered the television presenter Mike Bushell for the 17th series of Strictly Come Dancing.

number indicates Mike and Katya were at the bottom of the leaderboard.
Nicola Adams

She partnered the boxer Nicola Adams for the 18th series of Strictly Come Dancing. They had to leave the competition after week 3 when Jones tested positive for COVID-19.

Adam Peaty

From September 2021, she partnered the Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty for the 19th series of Strictly Come Dancing. They reached week 7, coming ninth.

Tony Adams

From September 2022, she partnered former England men's association football captain Tony Adams for the 20th series of Strictly Come Dancing. On week 8, they were announced in the bottom two against Tyler West. However, they did not compete in the dance-off due to Adams sustaining a hamstring injury, subsequently leading him to withdraw from the competition.

number indicates Tony and Katya were at the bottom of the leaderboard.
Nigel Harman

From September 2023, she was partnered by stage and screen actor Nigel Harman for the 21st series of Strictly 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.

number indicates Nigel and Katya were at the top of the leaderboard.
Wynne Evans

From September 2024, she was partnered by opera singer and BBC Radio Wales presenter Wynne Evans on the 22nd series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Lewis Cope

From September 2025, she was partnered with former Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope on the 23rd series of Strictly Come Dancing.
;* number indicates Lewis and Katya were at the top of the leaderboard.

Tour

Jones took part in the national Strictly Come Dancing – The Live Tour in 2024.
In 2024, it was announced she would be appearing at Donahey's Dancing with The Stars Weekends in 2025.

Other television appearances

She appeared as a contestant in Celebrity Masterchef in 2022.
In April 2023, she appeared in series five of Celebrity Hunted, partnered with Olympic snowboarder Aimee Fuller, and was eliminated in the fifth episode. In 2025, Jones, alongside fellow Strictly professional Nancy Xu, starred in the short film Dakota Stone.

Stage performances

Jones starred in the dance show Somnium: A Dancer's Dream, directed and choreographed by Neil Jones. The show was performed from 20 to 22 June 2019 at Sadler's Wells Theatre. She has also acted in various pantomimes.

Filmography

Personal life

Jones married her boyfriend of five years, Neil Jones, a dancer and fellow cast member of Strictly Come Dancing, on 3 August 2013. In October 2018, a video and photographs of Jones kissing her celebrity Strictly partner, Seann Walsh, were published. On 18 August 2019, Jones and her husband announced that they had separated.