Russian-born dancer Katya Jones, 30, admitted it’s not easy choosing the right moment to step back from the physically demanding profession in order to start a family. “Obviously, something like Strictly is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she told Express.co.uk when asked how she would balance dancing on Strictly Come Dancing with wanting to have children with Neil Jones, 37. “I love it so much, I get so passionate about it and I’d love to do it for as long as I can, as long as I have passion for it.
“And I do still have passion and so much more to give,” Katya continued. “And then, on the other side, you’re thinking, I just turned 30 and my body’s not gonna dance forever.”
The Strictly pro said there were “two sides” to the situation.
However, she went on to reveal she and Neil don’t feel too hurried.
“We have so much family around us — I have two nieces, Neil has eight nieces,” she explained, adding that Neil’s mother had been delighted when they first joined Strictly, telling them she had enough grandchildren for now.
“No one’s pressuring us, which is nice,” Katya said.
Noting her age, she insisted: “At the same time, we’ve got time.”
The dancer said she would love to stay on Strictly for as long as possible, but joked she wouldn’t still be on the show when she’s Anton Du Beke’s age, 52, because then it would probably be “too late” for her to have children.
“At the moment we’re just loving Strictly,” Neil chipped in. “We’re loving everything we’re doing with it.
“Like Katya said, we’ve got so much family around us.
“We will have a family in the end but at the moment we’re just enjoying what we’re doing,” he added.
Following last year’s drama after Katya Jones was pictured kissing Seann Walsh, 33, her celebrity Strictly partner, on a night out, she and Neil also addressed whether or not they have any reservations going into this year’s series.
“We know those things will always come up,” Neil said, revealing he isn’t nervous about going back to Strictly.
Katya chipped in saying “the worst” is behind them, while her husband continued: “The main thing is that we moved on.
“We know it doesn’t matter what’s said, it’s like yeah, it’s fine. It’ll all be fine and we’ll be happy with it.”
Meanwhile, the couple, who are both confirmed to be returning to Strictly later this summer, will be bringing their show, Somnium: A Dancer’s Dream, to Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London for a limited season starting Thursday.
“It’s been really interesting and really exciting,” Neil said of the production, which is based on their story and journey together. “It’s so nice when we go into each of those moments and relive them.
“It’s an insight into that world [of professional dance],” Katya explained.
“People see the glamour and all that but actually showing them how we got there and how competitive it is and what highs and lows you see, we thought that was quite interesting for people to see.”
Somnium: A Dancer’s Dream is at Sadler’s Wells Theatre from Thursday June 20 until Saturday June 22 with a matinee on Saturday at 2pm. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2019/somnium-a-dancers-dream/
