Katya Jones has heaped praise on her Strictly co-star Adam Peaty - noting his ability to form a connection with her and the audience.
Strictly Come Dancing viewers were gobsmacked on Saturday night, when it looked like the Olympic swimmer was about to kiss the professional dancer after their steamy performance.
Unphased by gossip and talk of the infamous 'Strictly curse', both Adam and Katya have turned the conversation to all things business - with the 32-year-old Russian dancer praising her partner's tireless work ethic.
Speaking with HELLO! Magazine, Katya praised the dad-of-one for putting in the hours during rehearsals for their live performances on the hit show.
"I’ve worked with athletes before and they’re always prepared but I remind Adam that everyone else is doing 40 to 50 hours a week too and putting in 100 percent and it really shows," she told the publication.
The star also opened up about Adam's ability to form a connection through his dance moves.
"It’s not just about the steps and hard work; it’s also the connection and the feeling you leave people with," she explained.
"You don’t just do the steps; you’ve got to perform them."
Strictly viewers were left stunned on Saturday night, after Adam seemed to lean in for kiss with Katya following their Argentinian Tango to Fleetwood Mac track, Tango In The Night.
As many BBC viewers speculated about the pair's chemistry and potential off-screen relationship on social media, the sports star took Twitter himself to set the record straight.
"My favourite dance so far. Thank you to everyone who has sent supporting messages! I loved it," Adam tweeted shortly after his much-talked about performance.
"To everyone who wants to see what they want, your comments have real life consequences.
"I will not be overcome or lowered by your gossip. Protect your energy."
Adam's partner also reacted to the 'near-kiss' on her own social media channels.
Eiri Munro, who shares one-year-old son George-Anderson with the swimmer, poked fun at the situation on TikTok and proved she had a good sense of humour about the situation.
In her hilarious post, the mum-of-one used the trending sound of a whining baby and scrunched up her face as if she was crying and wailing.
Above the clip, she wrote: "Watching your boyfriend almost kiss another woman on live tv… Finding out 10 million people also watched it live."
Speaking to The Mirror earlier this month, Adam admitted he was conscious not to let his professional dancer partner down in the live shows.
When quizzed about whether he has his eyes on the prize, the coveted Glitterball trophy, he replied: "No, I don’t think so."
He continued: "The only pressure I feel is the one I put on myself to learn the dance and to not let Katya down. The contestants are all incredible this year, everyone is just so brilliant, and anyone deserves it."
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturdays on BBC One with the results show airing on Sundays.
Read the full story in this week's Hello! magazine.
