Katya Jones was overcome with emotion during Monday night’s It Takes Two, breaking down as she questioned whether she bore responsibility for Lewis Cope’s shock exit from Strictly Come Dancing.
The professional dancer struggled to speak as she told host Fleur East she feared she could have done more to protect her partner.
“Looking back, obviously, I can’t help but think I could have done things differently to make things better for him,” she said while fighting tears.
Ms Jones said Mr Cope could only perform the choreography she gave him and insisted he delivered everything she asked of him throughout the series.
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Katya Jones broke down on Monday's episode of BBC It Takes Two
|BBC
“We were in a tough position expected to deliver these almost-perfect, show stopping routines every single Saturday, which you did,” she told the former Emmerdale actor.
Mr Cope immediately moved to comfort her, placing an arm around Jones and rejecting any suggestion she was to blame.
“You did everything perfect,” he insisted.
The 30-year-old went on to say the experience had impacted him far beyond dancing, adding: “You have made me fall in love with dance, but you’ve also made me fall in love with life again, so thank you.”
Lewis Cope and Katya Jones were the ninth pair to be eliminated from Strictly
|BBC
Ms Jones shared Mr Cope sent her a motivational text at 6am every Saturday, reading: “Morning mush, let’s do it, we’ve got this.”
She described it as her “favourite part” of the competition.
Fans flooded social media with support for the duo, with many saying Ms Jones had never looked more devastated.
“Poor Katya on It Takes Two… Don’t think I’ve ever seen her as upset as tonight,” one viewer wrote.
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Another viewer said: “Katya getting so emotional on It Takes Two… She knows they were robbed.”
A third commented: “You can just tell how much Lewis and Katya lived and breathed this series #Strictly.”
Some viewers instead turned their attention to Fleur East’s presenting style, branding it “wooden”.
One wrote: “Christ, is Fleur East always this wooden at presenting?”
The couple’s journey ended abruptly on Sunday after Musicals Week, when all four judges unanimously chose to save Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin in the dance-off.
Ms Jones and Mr Cope performed a salsa to Dance at the Gym from West Side Story, criticised for lacking its usual polish.
Ms Davies and Mr Kuzmin had scored a perfect 40 for their Charleston to Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat, making the result appear inevitable.
For many, the exit felt particularly harsh given the pair had topped the leaderboard twice.
BBC Strictly: Some viewers criticised Fleur East's presenting style as "wooden"
| BBCThey also earned the series’ first perfect score for their Halloween Couple’s Choice to Radiohead’s Creep.
During Sunday’s results show, Ms Jones paid tribute to Mr Cope through tears, telling him: “You will be remembered as one of, if not, the best male celebrity we’ve ever had on the show.”
She praised his character as much as his dancing, calling him “kind and genuine” and “a gentleman”.
Mr Cope responded that the entire experience was “all down to you,” telling Ms Jones she had given him “everything I could wish for as a friend, as a teacher".
Angry fans branded the elimination one of the most unfair in Strictly history.
“Lewis and Katya, you take the spot of the most robbed couple in the history of this show,” one wrote on X, while others declared they would no longer watch the final weeks of the series.
One viewer posted: “#Strictly is done. The best dancer ever in its history doesn’t even make the Final!"
Ms Jones later shared an emotional Instagram post congratulating the remaining contestants while admitting she was heartbroken.
“My heart is broken and it will take some time to heal,” she wrote. “So before I write a big profound post – I will take a minute to digest and breathe.”
The four remaining couples will compete in next week’s semi-final.
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