Katya Jones has addressed her upcoming return to Strictly Come Dancing following the departure of several fellow professionals from the BBC programme.
The 36-year-old dancer, who joined the show in 2016, will celebrate a decade on the Saturday evening competition when the new series launches in September.
Taking to Instagram after the BBC announced its professional line-up, Ms Jones shared an upbeat message on Friday.
"See you in September. Back on @bbcstrictly. To give all of you a reason to smile, bring families together, to offer something joyful to carry us through the winter. Shall we dance?" she wrote.
Her post comes amid significant changes to the professional roster ahead of the 24th series.
The shake-up sees five established professionals departing the ballroom, with Karen Hauer, Gorka Marquez, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk and Michelle Tsiakkas all confirmed as not returning for the autumn series.
Supporters of Ms Jones responded enthusiastically to her announcement on social media.
One fan praised her as having "the best choreography in my humble opinion," whilst another expressed delight at watching her "extraordinary dance skills and flair" continue on screen.
Katya Jones has broken her silence on the upcoming Strictly series
| PAFurther comments included "Yessss Katya!!!!! Can't wait to see you back!" and declarations that she "truly do bring people so much joy."
The outpouring of support reflects the dancer's popularity among viewers as the programme prepares for what will be a notably different professional line-up this year.
Lewis Cope, the former Emmerdale actor who partnered with Jones during the previous series, offered his backing by posting a series of hand-clapping emojis beneath her announcement.
Mr Cope and Ms Jones came close to reaching last year's final but were eliminated in a dance-off against Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin.
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Katya Jones has addressed her upcoming return to Strictly Come Dancing
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The roster of professionals returning alongside Jones for the autumn series features new mother Dianne Buswell, Julian Caillon, Amy Dowden, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Jowita Przystał, Johannes Radebe, Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, Kai Widdrington, Nancy Xu, Carlos Gu, Lauren Oakley and Vito Coppola.
The BBC has indicated that additional new professional dancers will join the cast for 2026, with their identities to be revealed nearer to the programme's September return.
The judging panel will remain unchanged for the forthcoming series, with Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas all set to deliver their verdicts and scores each week.
Popular themed episodes are also confirmed to return, including Movies, Icons, Halloween and Musicals weeks.
Katya Jones was partnered with Lewis Cope last year
| BBCThe Instant Dance challenge, which made its debut during the 2025 series, will feature again following its energetic reception from audiences.
Perhaps most significantly for devoted fans, the programme's traditional trip to Blackpool Tower Ballroom remains a fixture in the schedule.
The annual visit to the Lancashire venue has become one of the most anticipated moments in each series throughout the show's two-decade history on British television.