Strictly Come Dancing's Katya Jones says Ed Balls has fabulous rhythm and lovely eyes

Jones explains why sequins and spray tans are the ultimate route to political rehabilitation
Disco balls: Katya Jones is a huge fan of Ed Balls' moves
Matt Writtle
The Weekender

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When you’re just three weeks away from the Strictly Come Dancing final, every detail of your performance counts, right down to your shoelaces.

“Ed, what on earth are those?” squeals Katya Jones, one of the professional dancers on the show. “They’re to support the LGBT community,” explains former shadow chancellor Ed Balls, threading the rainbow-coloured strings through his patent black shoes with intense concentration.

Jones and her dance partner are at a rehearsal space in Camden preparing for tomorrow’s show, where they will tango to I Can’t Get No Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones. “It’s another big character for Ed,” says Jones, 27, beaming at him. Balls returns her adoring gaze.

“Katya can answer all the questions about Jeremy Corbyn’s prospects,” he jokes. “What are they called, those important voters?” She smiles: “Swing voters. I call them swingers but that’s not the right thing.”

Underdog: Ed Balls with Katya Jones in the BBC ballroom 
Guy Levy/BBC

Balls, 49, entered Strictly Come Dancing as an outsider with nothing left to lose. He’d been defeated at the 2015 election after 10 years as Labour MP for Morley and Outwood and his party was in disarray. He had never danced before. Critics diagnosed a midlife crisis but his Great Balls of Fire routine confounded expectations and he jived his way to be among the final six contestants. He’s amassing far more viewers on YouTube for his thrusting performances of a Gangnam Style salsa and the charleston than he could have dreamed of when he went on Newsnight in his previous life.

He’s even become a sex symbol. “That confidence does it for women,” says Jones, who lives in Hampshire with her husband Neil, also a dancer on the show. “That and his lovely blue eyes.”

Jones is from St Petersburg. Her father is an executive at an electric and power company and she’s been dancing professionally since she was six years old. Three months ago she didn’t know who Balls was. “When you’re a dancer you travel so much that you don’t have the chance to get into the politics of each country you go to. But I did my research.”

Strictly Come Dancing 2016 - who's been eliminated so far?

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She’s reading his autobiography and enjoying it, “because it’s not just politics, which is hard to understand, it’s life and feelings. He has this soft side you don’t expect because he’s used to such a tough environment”.

This is Jones’s first year on Strictly and she was competitive from the start. “Ed laughed because I wanted to do really well. He was like ‘I don’t think you know what you’ve got yourself into’.”

She continues: “He was quite high in politics and spent more than 20 years doing it so of course to do something like this is totally wild and out of his comfort zone. It can be funny because he’s always been in charge but here he has to listen to this young girl — but we’ve had a great time learning from each other.”

He laughs at her “Russian Croydon accent”, while she knows just how he likes his coffee (double espresso in “a decent sized cup”). They hug a lot and text constantly, saying “oh my god, we’re still here”.

Jones acknowledges she’s performed quite a feat, not only teaching the man previously known as Gordon Brown’s bodyguard how to move but transforming him into an unlikely national treasure. “I’ve been nominated for leader of the Labour Party,” she deadpans. “I’m also coaching Norwich football club because they say you do so well with Ed, you can fix anything.”

But it’s been a joint effort. “Ed came in saying he wanted to learn to dance and do it properly. He doesn’t want to be a joke act. He hasn’t got enough credit maybe from the judges. But he’s grown in confidence hugely. What people don’t know is that he is quite a good student. He has fabulous rhythm, he’s bouncy and picks up steps really quickly.”

At the beginning, Balls was reluctant to get spangled up but now he’s demanding more sequins and suggesting ever sassier moves. “He asks ‘Where are my sparkles?’” says Jones. “And Latin dances are his favourite. He’s doing spray tans every week, although he squeaks when it goes on.”

The now famous “Beyoncé rub” in the cha-cha was his idea. “It was meant to be a Michael Jackson rub.”

Getting into character is crucial. “When we did The Mask he practised the faces in front of the mirror and watched the film many times in preparation.”

Yvette Cooper MP, Balls’s wife and chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, comes to every show and “wants to learn the dances”. Is she better than him? “Well, in certain ways.”

Having a laugh: Ed Balls has won over viewers with his kooky routines 
Guy Levy/BBC

The man himself reappears. With a quiche in hand, he’s ready to tango, quipping, “I’m on a really low-fat diet”, and telling Jones it’s his daughter’s parents’ evening so he’ll have to leave rehearsal early.

Does Jones think her dance partner will go back into politics? “He always says never say never. If he does [being on Strictly] will work in his favour. People adore him now for his dancing and how fun he is, which I don’t think they saw before. If he does go back I think it’ll be amazing.”

When they went to the House of Commons together to film for Strictly, he showed off. “He was totally in his element, telling me who sits where.”

Is dancing the paso doble harder than politics? “It is. There’s so much to think about. You have to perform in front of the nation and you’ve only had four days to make it good under pressure.” Jones has been voted the bossiest professional on the show and tried to give Balls a curfew. “Ed tiptoes around me, really.”

Professional: Dancer Katya Jones
Matt Writtle

Jones recommends a turn about the dancefloor to other politicians. “He’s started a trend. More politicians will want to go on dance shows because it gives them a chance to be seen as a normal person. You see a softer side to them, how hard they try. It’s really good for politics because it creates a better connection with the public.”

After the show, Balls will go back “to his Harvard work and football”. Jones hopes to get onto the next series of Strictly: “This one has exceeded my expectations”. Does she have her eye on any other politicians? “I don’t know many. I met Theresa May at the Pride of Britain Awards. She looked fabulous. I was taken aback.” What about Corbyn doing the rumba? “Oh gosh. I’m still focused on my one politician.”

For now, Jones and Balls are taking it one quickstep at a time. “Our aim was to get to the Blackpool show and we did. What happens next doesn’t matter. If we win it’ll probably cause a bit of a stir but it’ll be deserved. I admire Ed’s strength of character. He’s shown what you can achieve with hard work.”

She continues: “Being partnered with Ed is the best thing that could have happened. It’s been an amazing privilege to give people the chance to see Ed throw himself into it and do some crazy stuff, showing everyone what a nice, determined person he is.

“Hopefully there are more amazing dances to come.”

Follow @susannahbutter and @StandardEnts for more entertainment news.

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