BBC Strictly's Katya Jones sends ex Neil birthday message and says 'will forever mean one thing'

Strictly Come Dancing star Katya Jones has playfully wished her ex-husband Neil a happy birthday in an Instagram post, sharing that the day holds a special meaning for her. The 33 year old dance champion, who won the glitterball trophy in 2017 with Joe McFadden, shared a throwback photo of a young Neil.

Her caption read: "Happy Birthday Neil Jones," accompanied by emojis. However, Katya, who married Neil in August 2013 and split in 2019, hinted at another personal celebration on this date.

She added: "Neil's birthday will forever mean one thing.... Happy Friendiversary to my absolute favourite."

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Following this, she dedicated a heartfelt Instagram post to her best friend, Team GB Winter Olympian and presenter Aimee Fuller. Katya has previously revealed how she became friends with Aimee through an event linked to Neil's birthday.

Speaking to Hello magazine, she recounted: "We actually met through Neil, my ex-husband. I went to his birthday party in 2021, and Aimee was a big part of it because she introduced him to wake surfing; we spent his birthday wake surfing with a group of people, and Aimee was one of them, and we got on so well. That was it, the start of the adventure.", reports the Express.

Sharing a snap of her daughter and her friend sleeping soundly on a plane, Aimee penned an emotional message, stating "Happy Frienneversary to my main squeeze. Love ya my friend." Aimee went on to explain the "Frienneversary" tradition. "And yes a Frienneversary is a thing. Neil Jones thanks for introducing me to my partner in crime. It's your fault."

The pair continued to mark this special occasion by revisiting cherished memories, sharing clips of their fun-filled adventures, including workout sessions at the gym, a sun-soaked holiday spent wakeboarding, and other memorable outings. Katya previously spoke of her close-knit friendship with Aimee in an interview with Hello magazine. "There's a few things. We're in a similar stage in life, a similar age, we've lived that high-intensity career working hard to achieve our dreams and now we've come to a place where we're both single we bond over a lot."

"We love a good chat and share the same morals and values in life. These things are really important to us."

Aimee also expressed her gratitude to Katya, commenting "I'd say we're each other's biggest supporters, both in and out of work. I feel so grateful that I've had Katya there for the last 18 months it doesn't matter what it is, she's there. I'm so excited for her success and seeing her rise, and that's reciprocated, which is really special in a friendship."

Between August 2013 and August 2019 she was married to Neil Jones, a dancer and fellow cast member of Strictly Come Dancing. They announced they were divorcing after Katya was pictured kissing her dance partner at the time, Seann Walsh, but said it was not the reason for the relationship ending.