Katya Jones has shared her concerns about her ‘maternal clock’ ticking ahead of turning 35 this month.
The Strictly Come Dancing professional was married to her co-star on the BBC One Latin and ballroom show, Neil Jones, 42, before she was caught smooching her celebrity dance partner, comedian Seann Walsh, 38, in 2018.
And the dancer has admitted it’s a struggle to balance her career with meeting someone and starting a family.
Speaking on pal Aimee Fuller’s Monday Mile podcast, she said: ‘Yes. Modern females of our age, we can have careers, pursue our passions.
‘Be happy and fulfilled on our own. However, on the other side, it doesn’t stop our maternal clock or our ageing process, unfortunately. So how do you balance those two things?’
Strictly’s Katya Jones has shared her concerns about her ‘maternal clock’ ticking ahead of turning 35 this month
She also revealed how she deals with trolls after THAT Seann Walsh kissing scandal (seen together during their time on the show in 2018)
She was married to her co-star on the BBC One Latin and ballroom show, Neil Jones, 42, before she was caught smooching her celebrity dance partner, comedian Seann
Katya faced a barrage of abuse online for the infidelity with Seann, who also had a girlfriend at the time, but she insists she has learned how to ‘disconnect from it’.
She said: ‘I have totally learned to disconnect from it.
‘It does not define who I am. What matters to me is us walking right now, you knowing who I am and that’s enough. That is enough for me.
‘My family knowing and loving me for who I am, that’s enough for me.
‘But would I like to add value to the world? Yes. And I already do it in some ways.
‘Sometimes people ask me, what do you do for a job? And I think I make people happy because that’s what Strictly does.’
As for Seann, he is still haunted by the kissing scandal, and recently revealed he has never danced since and is even disturbed by ‘Strictly No Parking’ zones.
The stand-up – who was in a relationship with actress Rebecca Humphries at the time – told fellow comic Russell Howard on the Wonderbox podcast: ‘I do not dance. What it is more actually is when you turn up to any car park or something, and it says, ‘Strictly No Parking’. I still just go, ‘Arghh’, every time I see it.
‘I can hear the word — like a dog hearing something — I can just hear the word strictly and I still go, ‘Arghh!”
And the dancer has admitted it’s a struggle to balance her career with meeting someone and starting a family
Neil has moved on with Love Island star Chyna Mills, 25, with whom he welcomed a daughter, Havana, in October, and is engaged to
Neil has moved on with Love Island star Chyna Mills, 25, with whom he welcomed a daughter, Havana, in October, and is engaged to.
In January Neil admitted he and his ex-wife Katya never chatted about babies being in their future.
The dancer, 41, also revealed in an exclusive interview with MailOnline that he and his fiancée Chyna discussed children just three months into their romance.
He explained he and Strictly co-star Katya were always too focused on their careers and dancing to consider starting a family.
Neil was married to Katya for six years before he called it quits in August 2019, following her kiss with her 2018 Strictly partner Seann.
He and Love Island star Chyna welcomed their first child, daughter Havana, in October seven months after announcing their engagement and just over a year since they went public with their romance in August 2022.
When asked about any family plans with Katya, Neil told MailOnline in an interview for his collaboration with Burns Pet Nutrition: ‘No we never really discussed children.
‘We were busy with the dancing and our careers and things like that.’
The twinkle-toed star explained that while he and Chyna had baby fever just three months in, they did not expect the pregnancy to happen so quickly.
Katya faced a barrage of abuse online for the infidelity with Seann, who also had a girlfriend at the time, but she insists she has learned how to ‘disconnect from it’
He explained that when he and Chyna met, they ‘clicked so well’ and now find it funny how soon they got into the serious conversation.
‘I have got so many nieces and nephews, and then when I met Chyna we clicked so well’, he added. ‘And it’s so funny that three months down the line that we both got into that conversation about having a child and we said, “Yeah, let’s try for it”.
‘We never thought it would happen so quick. We were both over the moon.’
Neil and Love Island star Chyna welcomed their baby girl, Havana, in October 2023 shortly after announcing their engagement.
