Strictly Come Dancing viewers have been left concerned for Katya Jones following her appearance on companion show It Takes Two.
The professional dancer gave her first interview on Monday (8 December) since her celebrity partner Lewis Cope – a favourite to win the show – was eliminated from the BBC dancing competition.
Jones broke down in tears as she hailed Cope and said she blames herself for his premature exit, leaving fans worried that she was being too hard on herself.
“Looking back, I can't help but think how maybe I could have done things differently and to make it work for him better,” she said, as Emmerdale star Cope reassuringly put his arm around her.
“You did everything perfectly,” he told Jones.
“But he can only do what I've asked him to do, you know?” she continued. “And whatever I've asked you to do, you didn't just do it this time, you did it every single day.”
Jones also claimed they were under more pressure than other celebrities in the competition to perform high-quality dances: “We were in a tough position. I feel like we were expected to deliver this almost perfect show-stopping routine every single Saturday, which you did. I don't know how, but you did.”
Cope interjected: “Because of you.”
Viewers couldn’t help but feel upset for Jones, with one saying it was “heartbreaking” to see her so emotional over the elimination.
“I’ve never seen her so upset. It looks like she’s been crying all weekend,” one fan wrote.
“It was a tough watch, she was proper blubbing,” another wrote on X/Twitter, with an additional viewer writing: “I wanted to climb through the TV screen and give her a hug. I really hope she has people looking after her.”
The pair found themselves in the dance-off against West End star Amber Davies and her professional partner, Nikita Kuzmin, who secured a place in the semi-finals.
Cope’s elimination came just a week after he topped the leaderboard and triumphed in the series’ first Instant Dance challenge. He was also the first star to get a perfect score of 40 earlier in the series.
Speaking on It Takes Two, Cope reflected on his journey, stating: “We’re just trying to focus on the positives, really. It’s been an amazing 11 weeks, and of course, it hurts, and it’ll take a bit of time to get over, but I’m really proud of what we’ve done.
“It’s not really about dancing or anything. You (Jones) have made me fall in love with dance, but you’ve also made me fall in love with life again. So thank you."
He acknowledged that his family was "gutted" by the result but emphasised the broader positive impact of his time on the show.
"To have them four generations come together every Saturday and to open different conversations that they’ve never really had before, and show different sides to them that I’ve never seen before as well, it’s been really beautiful for me," he said.
Adding his gratitude to viewers, he remarked: "I’d just like to say thank you to everyone at home because without them I wouldn’t have been here this long."
Davies joins EastEnders actor Balvinder Sopal, internet star George Clarke, and former Lioness and sports broadcaster Karen Carney as the remaining semi-finalists.
The couples will perform two new routines each during next weekend’s semi-final, which airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 6.35pm on Saturday (13 December). The results show will follow at 7.45pm on Sunday, featuring performances from Kylie Minogue and boyband Five.
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