Strictly Come Dancing star Neil Jones joined the queue of mourners waiting to see the Queen lying in state on Sunday.
The professional dancer, 40, joined the public line to pay his respects at Westminster Hall in “one of the most incredible moments of [his] life” alongside other celebs including James Blunt and Susanna Reid.
The BBC star has reflected on queuing for more than 12 hours to see the monarch’s coffin before the official queue ended on Sunday night, in order to meet the 6.30am closure of the lying in state period.
On Monday, the dancer took to his Instagram to update fans on his internet absence, saying: “Sorry for not replying to everyone yesterday.
“As you could see from my stories we queued for over 12 hrs to pay our respects to the Queen lying in state. [sic]
“I have to say this is one of the most incredible moments of my life which I will never forget, I want to thank everyone we met while walking yesterday, thank you for the conversations, laughter and entertainment, most of all sharing the experience all together.
“We had a mum and daughter who were pushing her son in a wheelchair and were told many times they could skip the line and fast track, but they declined every time because they wanted to walk with us all.
“Your Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Thank you.”
Neil has been a professional partner on Strictly since 2016, dancing with celebrity contestants Alex Scott and Nina Wadia.
He’s made headlines recently after striking up a relationship with Love Island contestant Chyna Mills, 23,
He was not the only famous face to queue for the lying in state, with David Beckham and Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid also joining the public line.
The couple confirmed they were officially a couple following a trip to Paris last month.
They were spotted in the aptly nicknamed City of Love and were reported to have stayed in the four-star Dadou Hotel in the French hotspot - a boutique hotel close to Place Charles De Gaulle. They travelled to the city by Eurostar at onlookers said they looked "delighted" to be in each other's company.
The blossoming romance comes three years after Neil split from his now ex-wife and fellow Strictly dancer Katya Jones. They had been married for six years before announcing they'd gone their separate ways nine months after Katya was caught kissing her celeb dance partner Seann Walsh on a boozy night out.
Since they split, Neil has been romantically linked with a host of names, but will be hopeful he has found "the one" in Chyna who is fresh out of Love Island. She entered the reality TV's villa as one of the recent series' Casa Amor bombshells and quickly matched with Scottish hunk Jay Younger.
