Strictly Come Dancing professional Katya Jones has paid tribute to her partner Lewis Cope, labelling him “the BEST male contestant that has ever graced [the] Strictly dance floor”.
The duo, who had been favourites to win the 2025 series, made a shock exit from the competition on Sunday night (7 December) after ending up in the dance-off against Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin.
In a post dedicated “to my magnificent Lewis Cope”, Jones has since reflected on their journey in the competition, writing: “You set my little dancing soul on fire [...] a feeling so priceless, it’s worth every bit of pain I’m feeling now.”
“Not often do we meet people who are truly exceptional, rare, people who seem to be cut from a different cloth. But you ARE one of them,” she said. “You are made of magic. Your inner light shines so brightly that all of us can’t not be touched by it. Your talent is unmatched. You are destined for something extraordinary. And I am looking forward to be your biggest cheerleader when it happens.”
Making the case for why Cope should be considered the best male celebrity the Strictly ballroom has ever seen, she wrote: “First 10, first 40 of the season, the earliest 40 in the history of Strictly (shared), topped Blackpool, winner of the first Instant Dance challenge.”
“And [you] left us with a catalogue of dances that will be watched by generations to come as some of the greatest of all time,” Jones continued. “I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world to be chosen to partner you. I loved dancing with you. Oh, DID I LOVE DANCING WITH YOU!”
Concluding the post, she wrote: “I wanted this to be everything and more for Lewis. Receiving so much love and appreciation from everyone, I realised, he didn’t need the trophy to win the hearts of the nation. And I know that we will keep dancing.”
After she and Cope left the competition in Sunday night’s quarter-finals results show, Jones told fans on Instagram: “My heart is broken and it will take some time to heal. “So before I write a big profound post – I will take a minute to digest and breathe.”
The pair then appeared on Tuesday’s episode (9 December) of spin-off show It Takes Two, where the professional dancer burst into tears and blamed herself for their elimination. “Looking back, I can't help but think how maybe I could have done things differently and to make it work for him better,” she said, as Cope reassuringly put his arm around his partner. “You did everything perfectly,” he told her.
Jones also claimed they were under more pressure to perform high-quality dances than the other celebrities, stating: “We were in a tough position. I feel like we were expected to deliver this almost perfect show-stopping routine every single Saturday, which you did. I don't know how, but you did.”
Cope interjected: “Because of you.”
The latest results show delivered one of the series’ most shocking moments as it was revealed that Cope and Davies, who had scored a perfect 40 for her Charleston, were the Musicals Week bottom two.
After both celebrities had performed again, the judges had to decide who should stay in the competition – and all opted to save Davies.
The four remaining Strictly pairs will fight for a place in the grand final in the forthcoming penultimate live show of the series. The semi-finalists are ex-Love Islander Davies, former England player Karen Carney, social media star George Clarke and EastEnders actor Balvinder Sopal.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday (13 December) at 6.35pm.
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