The pairing are set to take to the Strictly floor for the first time this weekend.
This series of Strictly Come Dancing made history when it announced its first same-sex pairing with double Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams and professional dancer Katya Jones.
The pairing was unveiled during last week’s launch show and the announcement was met with an absolute fanfare from Strictly’s viewers, ignoring Ann Widdecombe – which let’s be honest, we’re all doing anyway.
Speaking to the Radio Times ahead of their dancing debut, Katya said viewers wouldn’t even “question” the pairing, saying: “People won’t even see the difference because it’s going to be amazing. They’re not even going to question it.”
Katya also spoke about how common same-sex pairings are in the ballroom world, with there being same-sex competitions. “So it’s a really normal thing, you know? I’ve always taught as a lead and a follower, so this doesn’t feel like anything extra,” she explained.
She added: “I’m just really excited to get someone whose work ethic is out of this world — she’s so used to training hard. For me, that’s all I look for in a partner. We’re two strong-minded women and we’re going to be a powerhouse together.
“And, you know, dancing is dancing.”
Strictly has dabbled with same-sex pairings in its professional routines before, and last year a routine between Johannes Radebe and Graziano Di Prima resulted in 189 complaints claiming it was “inappropriate.” Thankfully, the BBC used common sense and didn’t uphold any of the complaints.
The BBC also dismissed complaints over Nicola and Katya’s same-sex pairing when it was announced that Nicola was to dance with a woman on the show.
In a statement, they wrote: “Strictly Come Dancing is an inclusive show and is proud to have featured same-sex dancing amongst the professional dancers in group numbers in previous series.
“We have stated, in the past, that we are open to the prospect of including same-sex pairings between our celebrities and professional dancers, should the opportunity arise. Nicola Adams requested an all-female pairing, which we are happy to facilitate.”
They continued: “The show is first and foremost about dance, the sex of each partner within a coupling should have no bearing on their routine.”
Yesterday (21 October), it was revealed that Nicola and Katya’s first dance on the Strictly floor would a quickstep to Ella Fitzgerald’s version of Get Happy. Elsewhere, Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh and Giovanni Pernice will be doing a paso doble to Beyoncé’s End of Time and Made in Chelsea’s Jamie Laing and Karen Hauer have a cha-cha-cha to what would’ve been one of the breakout songs of this year’s Eurovision, Think About Things.
The Strictly couples will take to the floor for the first time this Saturday (24 October) at 19:25 on BBC 1. As in other years, there will be no eliminations this week.
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