Strictly dancer Neil Jones really, really wants you to know he’s not gay, 18 months after Seann Walsh hit him with a homophobic jibe
Strictly Come Dancing star Neil Jones (L) indirectly addressed rumour that he’s gay spurred by Seann Walsh (R). (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Neil Jones, a British choreographer on Strictly Come Dancing, has emphatically denied rumours he’s gay some 18 months after Seann Walsh stung him with a cruel jibe tinged with homophobia.
The 38-year-old professional dancer indirectly insisted he’s straight after Walsh kissed his now-estranged wife Katya Jones during their stint on the BBC competition series.
During a 2018 stand-up show in Kennington, west London, Walsh was reported to have said: “You know who I am now, motherf**ker, I’m the guy who kissed a gay man’s wife.”
Classy. Walsh scrambled as he urged audiences to “not report that” and instead it was a joke.
Strictly star addresses gay rumours.
Jones failed to see the funny side in this, however. The dance expert told The Sun: “In ballroom, there’s a lot of straight guys.
“But mum was always like: ‘It’s a shame you’re not gay because we could go shopping together.'”
Homosexuals are known for their rampant shopping habits, because science.
“And I was thinking,” Neil Jones continued, “‘Whether I’m gay or not there’s no chance, you take forever.'”
With that, Jones quashed the long-hovering rumours of his sexuality which we well and truly did not ask for – and he can get back to looking for dates on Hinge.
What happened between Neil Jones, Katya Jones and Seann Walsh?
Katya and Walsh both appeared on the 2018 series of Strictly Come Dancing, but its run was muddied by controversy.
Walsh, 34, was a celebrity contestant on the show and partnered with Katya, 31. But they were snapped by lurking paparazzi kissing on a night out at the height of the competition.
Neil’s marriage was rattled by this as Katya and Walsh’s time on the show was immediately roiled by the backlash. Viewers voted them off a week later, with tension ratcheted up even further after Walsh’s bungled “joke” shortly after.
Seann Walsh (L) and Katya Jones seen leaving a dance studio on October 17, 2018 in Mayfair, London. (PALACE LEE / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
When in doubt, after kissing a married a woman, don’t resort to homophobia. It tends to make things ever so slightly worse.
Neil and Katya called it quits August 2019, ending an 11 yearslong marriage. They said in a joint statement to the press: “After 11 years we have made the mutual decision to separate.
“We will always love each other, just in a different way as friends. This will never change what a great team we make and we are really proud of everything we have achieved together.
“Our shared love of dance means we will keep working and dancing together as well as exploring individual projects.”
Walsh also split from his then-girlfriend actor Rebecca Humphries.
