Strictly's Katya Jones shares defiant post about being single after BBC 'curse' ruined marriage

Strictly Come Dancing star Katya Jones has opened up on her feelings on being single for six years after her marriage to co-star Neil Jones was struck by the Strictly curse

Strictly Come Dancing star Katya Jones has shown her strength as a single woman with a defiant new Instagram post.

The professional dancer took to her social media to share a post which highlighted her single status for the last six years. Adding the text to her story it read: "Do I like being single? Yes, I do. Do I wish I were in a relationship? Absolutely.

"But here’s the thing: I will stay single until I find someone whose presence is more valuable than my solitude, someone who truly appreciates and respects me. Until I find that person, I'm perfectly happy with myself. My peace and my self-worth are far too important to settle for anything less."

Katya was married to fellow Strictly professional Neil Jones but things turned sour for the couple when their romance fell foul to the infamous Strictly curse.

In 2018, Katya and Seann Walsh - her partner for that season - were caught sharing a kiss, despite both being in relationships with other people. Seann, who was dating actress Rebecca Humphries at the time, subsequently fled to America following the scandal, and he has since expressed his remorse.

In his 2022 stand-up show Seann Walsh: Kiss | Full Comedy Special, Seann recounted a pivotal moment: "I left the wardrobe department and before I could order my first beer, my agent came over to and asked if he could have a word with me outside. I thought 'he is going to tell me I have got Michael McIntyre's Big Show! I had better act surprised! ".

But the news was far from what he expected: "Turns out, I didn't have to act surprised. We went into the car park, my agent looked over his glasses and said 'about 20 minutes ago, they posted a photo of you kissing Katya outside a pub'. It was at that exact point that my life would turn upside down - the dream turned into a nightmare."

He confessed: "I was in a relationship, my dance partner Katya was married. After training we went for a drink, one thing led to another and we were photographed kissing outside a pub. Awful, I know. It's awful - I'm sorry. I'm still sorry now."

In 2019, a year on from the infamous kiss scandal, Katya and Neil Jones called time on their six-year marriage. Despite speculation, Neil has clarified that the Seann Walsh smooch wasn't the catalyst for their split.

Chatting to The Sun in 2020, Neil revealed: "We found that we'd grown apart like people do, so we were like, 'OK, let's go our separate ways'. We are lucky that we don't have kids. It had nothing to do with what happened [with Seann]. We were moving in different directions but we are friends again now. Katya is a great girl and I've got nothing bad to say about her."

Katya has since admitted that she is "husband hunting" and in an August 2023 chat with the Daily Express, Katya was asked about her search for a husband. She excitedly replied: "It's going! It's still going! It's still on."

Her pal, Olympic snowboarder Aimee Fuller, chimed in with: "The hunt is on. There are lots of good events in the next few weeks so we will be out, living. That's what it's all about. Good conversation and meeting people is everything."

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