Strictly Come Dancing star Neil Jones has strongly denied suggestions he has been gossiping about his BBC colleagues, and stated he will laugh about the 'ridiculous' claims with friend and fellow dancer Giovanni Pernice.
The Strictly pro also revealed he was actually the one to end things with his ex-girlfriend Sophie Lily Kerr earlier this year - following a friend of the model alleging she called it quits with the star after he became "paranoid" and "self-obsessed" during the last series of the BBC show.
Neil, 39, has said "there is no truth whatsoever" to the claims made by a friend of ex-girlfriend Sophie, which alleged he would 'b***h' about his fellow dancers - in particular reigning champion Giovanni.
Sophie, 32, and Neil, 39, enjoyed a brief four month romance, after matching on the exclusive celebrity dating app Raya last year.
The pair dated for four months before going their separate ways in February of this year.
Speaking to The Sun, a friend of Sophie's made a number of bold claims about the dancer's relationship with his Strictly Come Dancing family and alleged that the model had been the one to break things off with the Strictly star.
The unnamed insider also alleged that Neil would "complain about Giovanni Pernice the most" when apparently "b****ing" about his Strictly co-stars.
However, speaking exclusively to the Mirror, a spokesperson for Neil rubbished the comments and revealed Neil was in fact the one to "end things" with the model and laughed off claims of gossiping.
"There is no truth whatsoever to Sophie’s claims and he’s surprised to hear her take on things. Her version of events and decision to speak out on their time together only serves to show his intuition to end things was the right decision," a representative for Neil told us on Saturday night.
"With regards to Giovanni he only has the utmost respect and love for his fellow strictly professional and friend, the two of them will no doubt laugh about this ridiculous story. Neil is still very much happily single, contrary to recent inaccurate reports."
Neil's statement confirming he is "happily single" comes after reports the professional dancer had struck up a new romance with Cuban dancer Gretel Pupo, after weeks of flirty interactions on social media.
Neil was previously married to ex and fellow Strictly pro Katya Jone from 2013 until their split in 2019, but the pair remain good pals.
"We've been through so much together and have known each other for years, she's a good friend of mine," Neil told the Express when discussing his ex-wife last year.
"We will always be friends no matter what."
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