Neil Jones’ first reaction when his wife Katya Jones told him she had kissed her ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ partner Seann Walsh was to make sure she was OK.
The ballroom professionals’ marriage was rocked last year when the Russian dancer was pictured locking lips with comedian Seann after a night out drinking in a pub, but Neil insists that when she told him what had happened his "natural" response was to want to protect his spouse.
In a joint interview on ITV show ‘Lorraine’, Neil, 36, said: "For me it was a major shock, and I appreciated that Katya told me before I saw it. ‘Strictly’ were fantastic with me and with us all, they were supporting us all and helping us.
"It was that shock factor, and then for me I was actually more worried about Katya because I could see what was going to happen, and I was like as long as she’s going to be OK. It was a natural reaction, of course [I love her] because we’ve been together for a long time."
Katya, 29, accepts it was a tough moment in their relationship but insists she and Neil – who she married in August 2013 – are now stronger than ever.
She said: "There was lots of different emotions, of course, and we’ve gone through that. And I think now that we’ve moved on, you might even forgot how you felt at that moment … Look, 10 years of being together and that’s not for nothing. We’ve gone through so many things together."
Neil added: "The trust is there."
Katya has nothing but regret when she thinks about her kiss with Seann, 33, but insists it is time for people to move on from the smooch because she and Neil have.
She said: "[I regret it]. Of course, you just don’t realise the extent of the damage and the people you affect, families, my family, that moment you don’t. But then it’s the whole show, obviously that was horrible, all the professionals and dancers were constantly asked about it and that was unnecessary from me, absolutely.
"Even the fact that we’re still talking about it. It’s like, we’re over it, I think everyone else is over it, let’s just move on."
Echoing his wife’s sentiment, Neil added: "I was getting messages on Instagram saying, ‘You’ve got to leave her’. But that’s what’s wrong, you know? I always feel that’s what’s wrong at the moment, everybody just looks at things, it’s a quick relationship, we’ve been together for 10 years. For me, it was just important, the understanding, I just needed to speak to Katya, I just needed to be with her in that moment. For me, I felt they overreacted.
"There’s worse things in the world going on at the moment. Every time it keeps coming up, anything happens and they mention it, I’m like, ‘Come on…’"
Asked by host Lorraine Kelly if she’s still in contact with Seann, Katya said: "No."
To show the world that their marriage is very much on track, Neil and Katya are touring their own show ‘Somnium: A Dancer’s Dream’ which is inspired by their romance and their life together.
Explaining the inspiration behind the dance extravaganza, Neil said: "It’s based on our story. There’s moments in, within the story, it’s not about what happened there, it’s about a World Championships."
Neil Jones wanted to protect wife Katya during Strictly kiss scandal
