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Strictly Come Dancing viewers have been left in shock after professional dancer Neil Jones made a faux pas live on air.
Despite being on the show since 2016, Neil, 41, had become known for being one of the few professional dancers to have a celebrity partner, so when the show’s launch on Saturday night revealed he was paired with ’80s legend Toya Wilcox, the star did little to hide his delight.
While chatting to the couple on the couch, Claudia joked that Neil had his own line of merchandise, before cameras showed a photo of Neil’s 11-month-old daughter Havana wearing a baby onesie with the words: “My dad FINALLY has a partner.”
As the studio roared and cheered, Neil raised his fist and repeatedly shouted, “Finally!”
However, some viewers were left confused by the outburst and turned to X to quickly remind Neil that they had paired him up before and hadn’t forgotten about it, despite him seemingly having done so.
Strictly Come Dancing viewers left in shock after professional dancer Neil Jones made a major faux pas live on air
Despite being on the show since 2016, Neil had become known for being one of the few professional dancers to be assigned a celebrity partner, so when it was revealed on Saturday night that he was paired with Toya Wilcox, the star did little to hide his delight.
In a post on X, one wrote: “Daddy finally has a partner. Did you forget about this queen?!” before posting a picture of himself with sports pundit Alex Scott, 39, who he reached the quarter-finals with in 2019.
Another viewer posted a photo of Neil with actress Nina Wadia, 54, who he was paired with two years later and captioned it: ‘Let’s not forget Ninia Wadia who was robbed of a lot when she was eliminated first.’
However, others were quick to come to the professional dancer’s defence, explaining that it was all a joke as the couple had been brewing for a long time.
“Because it’s been a couple of years, not because she’s never had a partner… it’s because it’s been a long time… it’s been a long time… she hasn’t had a partner in years, it’s like a joke from a long time ago. I wasn’t saying that she’s never had a partner.”
As the show progressed, when Claudia asked her how it felt to be paired with Neil, Toya replied, “I met Neil and I felt like I was in heaven. You’re all beautiful guys, but not as beautiful as Neil.”
Toya also promised she would be “the first retiree to rappel down the studio.”
Earlier this year, the Latin dancer revealed in an exclusive interview with MailOnline that not fronting Strictly meant he missed the birth of his daughter Havana.
Television personality and Love Island star Chyna Mills, 24, welcomed their first child together in October 2023 after going public with their romance in August 2022.
As she chatted to the couple on the couch, Claudia joked that Neil had his own line of merchandise, before cameras showed a photo of Neil’s 11-month-old daughter Havana wearing a baby onesie and the words: ‘My dad FINALLY has a partner.’
As the studio roared and cheered, Neil raised his fist and repeatedly shouted, “Finally!”
Some viewers were left confused by the outburst and turned to X to remind Neil that he had been paired up before, however others jumped to the dancers’ defence claiming it was a joke.
The Latin dancer previously revealed in an exclusive interview with MailOnline that not fronting the show meant he missed the birth of his baby daughter Havana.
TV personality and Love Island star Chyna Mills, 24, welcomed her first child in October 2023 after first going public with her romance in August 2022 (pictured in November).
Chyna took to Instagram to announce her daughter’s arrival, sharing a black-and-white image of her daughter’s toes and writing, “Our hearts are so full” in October 2023.
She told MailOnline: ‘This year everything happened in the right way, because if I’d had a partner, I wouldn’t have been there for the birth of my daughter’ (pictured June 2023)
At the time, Neil told MailOnline: ‘Every year I tell the show bosses when I have a partner or not. It doesn’t bother me.
‘I would say, do what you have to do, if you find the right partner for me, I’m there for you.
“But don’t think you have to give me a famous partner, that’s not a priority. I enjoy when I get that opportunity at Christmas.
‘This year everything went well because if I had had a partner I would not have been present at my daughter’s birth.
“I am always very grateful to Strictly for being on this great show and I trust and respect them.”
STRICTLY 2024 LINEUP
Chris McCausland
Age: 46
Profession: Comedian
Chris says: “If anyone is thinking, ‘How the hell is he going to do that?’ rest assured, I’m thinking exactly the same thing.”
Dr. Punam Krishan
Age: unknown
Profession: Family doctor and announcer
Punam says: ‘I’ve watched Strictly every year and it feels even more special that it’s the 20th year, I can’t believe it’s me who’s going to be on Strictly.’
Willcox Toy Store
Age: 66
Profession: Singer, actor, presenter
Toyah says: “I’m so excited and I love this show. Being a part of it, the spray tan and the glow. It’s a landmark year for me. I came in as a retiree, went to Glasto and now I’m spray tanning.”
Pete Wicks
Age: 36
Profession: Reality star
Pete says: “Dancing live in front of the whole country every Saturday? Absolutely terrifying.”
Shayne Neighborhood
Age: 39
Profession: Actor and singer
Shayne says: ‘I’m no stranger to live television, but dancing Latin and ballroom in front of millions of people is a whole new level.’
Tom Dean
Age: 24
Profession: Olympic medal-winning swimmer
Tom says: “I can now officially talk about how excited I am to embark on something new, meet brilliant people and start dancing.”
Nick Knowles
Age: 61
Profession: TV presenter
Nick says, ‘I’m going for it. I’m going to give it 100 percent!’
Montell Douglas
Age: 38
Profession: Former Olympian for Team GB and current gladiator
Montell says: ‘I hope some of my Gladiator moves come in handy with the Tango or Paso Doble!’
JB Gill
Age: 37
Profession: Singer
JB says: “A lot of ballroom dance styles are very foreign to me. I didn’t do those dances as a kid. I’m not a professional dancer.”
Wynne Evans
Age: 52
Profession: Opera singer, presenter
Wynne says: ‘The things that make me nervous are the ones that involve jumping, I don’t really want to do the jive, I get nervous about that.
Tasha Ghouri
Age: 25
Profession: Model and reality star
Tasha says: ‘I’ve been watching the show since I was little, it’s a Ghouri family favourite so this is totally a dream come true.’
Sarah Hadland
Age: 53
Profession: Actress
Sarah says: ‘I’m particularly excited to be part of such an iconic show in its 20th year.’
Jamie Borthwick
Age: 30
Profession: EastEnders star
Jamie says: ‘I had a blast making the Christmas special, so when I was asked to take part, the easiest answer was ‘yes!’
Sam Quek
Age: 35
Profession: Former Great Britain hockey player and presenter
Sam says: “I’m so relieved that it’s out now. I’ve found it hard to keep a secret! Rumours were spreading and I had to lie. I’m used to dancing on a girls’ night out but I’m going to give it my all.”
Pablo Merson
Age: 56
Profession: Former footballer
Paul says: ‘I won’t worry until it starts, but when it does start I’ll be nervous. I’ve only danced three times in my life!’