Strictly pro Katya Jones says she considered quitting series after ‘heartbreaking’ elimination

Strictly Come Dancing professional Katya Jones was so “heartbroken” by her elimination last year that she almost quit the BBC show.

Jones was partnered with actor Lewis Cope and they were favourites to win the 2025 series. However, they made a shock exit from the competition in the quarter finals, and Jones has said she “wasn’t sure if she could face” the potential disappointment again when asked to return for the new series.

”Every year, I do question myself, like really think, ‘Are you ready for this really intense, really all-consuming thing again and again and again and again?’” she said in a new interview. “Every time I ask myself, and if the answer is still yes, I’ll be here doing it. And I must say, last year I was very heartbroken.

“So there was a lot of doubt, like, ‘Can I face it again?’”

Jones, who has been on the series for 11 years, told MailOnline: “I guess our expectation was so high and not even from us, externally, you kind of see yourself getting all the way there. And then to have had it cut short was a little bit tough.’

She said that the moment she “doesn’t love Strictly ” will be the moment she “walks away”.

For the 2026 series, Jones is partnered with YouTube star John Nellis, and the pair topped the leaderboard in the first week. He’s currently the favourite to win the show.

When Cope was eliminated from the competition, Jones declared he was the best male celebrity Strictly has ever seen in a moving tribute to her celebrity partner.

The pair appeared on former spin-off show It Takes Two, where the professional dancer burst into tears and blamed herself for their elimination. “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 Cope reassuringly put his arm around his partner. “You did everything perfectly,” he told her.

Jones also claimed they were under more pressure to perform high-quality dances than the other celebrities, stating: “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.”

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Celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton and his partner Amy Dowden became the first couple to be eliminated from Strictly 2026. The series continues on Saturday (10 October).