Josh Widdicombe Teases Neil Jones on "Strictly Come Dancing"
Host Josh Widdicombe humorously pointed out Neil Jones's recurring lack of a celebrity partner on Sunday's "Strictly Come Dancing."
During Sunday's results show of "Strictly Come Dancing," host Josh Widdicombe playfully teased professional dancer Neil Jones about his frequent absence of a celebrity partner.
Jones, who joined the BBC competition in 2016, has not been paired with a celebrity for seven of his ten years on the show. His most recent pairing was with singer Toyah Willcox in 2024, a partnership that concluded after two weeks.
In the lead-up to a dance-off segment featuring judges Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke, Jones was again the subject of lighthearted jokes. Neither Ballas nor Du Beke selected him for their teams, with judge Craig Revel Horwood offering a consoling remark, "It's OK darling you can be the referee." Jones then participated in the dance as part of the comedic element, even pretending to play the piano.
Following the performance, Widdicombe quipped, "Can we just have a round of applause for the real star, Neil," prompting Jones to enter the frame holding an "applause" sign.
Earlier this season, Jones addressed his partnerless status in an Instagram video, humorously captioning a clip of himself attempting to toss a pen into a bin: "if I get the pen in the bin I will get a celeb partner." He did not succeed, with fellow professional dancer Kai Widdrington catching the pen off-camera. Jones later joked that with his existing accolades, winning the glitterball trophy would be "greedy."
In other show moments, Widdicombe's interactions with judges have drawn viewer attention. Some viewers have speculated about tension between Widdicombe and judge Motsi Mabuse, which Mabuse has publicly denied, calling Widdicombe her "friend." Additionally, during a segment with contestant Dani Dyer, Widdicombe made hand gestures that prompted an on-air question from judge Craig Revel Horwood: "What are you doing Josh?"
It was previously reported that Jones missed filming several pre-recorded group dances due to an injury sustained during rehearsals, which may have impacted his participation in recent routines.