Strictly’s Katya: Even my mum thinks I’m having a f ling with my snowboarder pal
KATYA JONES’S close friendship with snowboarding beauty Aimee Fuller has prompted widespread speculation that they are in a relationship – although the pair have always remained tight-lipped about the gossip.
Now the Strictly Come Dancing professional has revealed even her own mother has asked if she and Ms Fuller are together.
Ms Jones, who last year told The Mail on Sunday she hasn’t been in a date with a man since she split from fellow ballroom dancer Neil Jones in 2019, said: ‘We don’t get approached by men because people think we’re a couple, even my mum.’
Ms Fuller, a double Winter Olympian, added: ‘And my brother. I don’t even know what it is that drives people to think that?’
The women first met in 2021 through Ms Jones’s ex-husband, and immediately hit it off. They have just returned from a threeweek trip to Australia and have also been seen on red carpets and regularly pose up as they lark around on Instagram.
And they teamed up to compete in the new series of Celebrity Hunted, which starts on Channel 4 on Tuesday, where they have to go on the run from a team of expert hunters in aid of Stand Up To Cancer.
They both claim to be ‘husband hunting’ on the programme.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday ahead of the show, Ms Jones, 33, addressed their relationship for the first time, saying: ‘It’s topic number one, people always ask, why are we even friends?
‘We have known each other for only 14 months. Which sounds crazy. But she’s just one of those people who you immediately click with. Our energy just resonated.
‘Apart from the fact that we have a good laugh together, her set of skills make her extremely intelligent and calculated. We have found that we have similar morals and similar values in life. She’s a person that adds value to your life.
‘When you meet someone who does that, you just want to have them around. There are always positive vibes around. We just love a good, deep chat.’
London-born Ms Fuller, 31, who represented Great Britain at both the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics, also spoke of her fondness for Ms Jones, saying: ‘She builds me up and I build her up, so it’s a really positive friendship. When we are having down days, which of course we do, we’re there to help pick each other up and then be the biggest cheerleader.’
Ms Jones, who danced with former footballer Tony Adams in last year’s Strictly, split from her husband in 2019 after six years of marriage. It came after she was seen kissing comedian Seann Walsh, her celebrity partner that year, in a London street.
Speaking of her struggles at finding love again, she said last year: ‘It would be nice to find love, but I feel men in the modern world are very fearful and it has proven to be very tough to find a relationship. They are probably too intimidated.’
Celebrity Hunted starts on Channel 4 at 9pm on Tuesday.