‘Strictly Come Dancing’ professional Neil Jones has been forced to step up to dance with Katie Piper in this year’s final, after her usual partner Gorka Marquez suffered an injury.
As well as three performances from finalists Ashley Roberts, Faye Tozer, Joe Sugg and Stacey Dooley, this year’s entire cast, from first eliminated contestant Susannah Constantine right through to semi-finalist Lauren Steadman, will be back for one last group number.
However, a ‘Strictly’ spokesperson confirmed to HuffPost UK that Katie will be dancing with both Gorka and Neil, with the latter stepping in for more complicated parts of the routine.
Katie revealed the partner switch-up on her Instagram page on Friday, posting a photo of herself with Neil alongside the message: “I’ve jumped ship! #newpartner”
The final opened with a performance featuring the four finalists and all of the show’s professional dancers, although Gorka was notably absent from the group during the number.
Despite joining ‘Strictly’ in 2016, alongside wife Katya Jones, Neil is yet to be partnered with a celebrity in the main competition, although he does appear in group numbers, and has danced in a pair in both Christmas and Children In Need specials.
He and Katya found themselves at the centre of headlines during this year’s run, after she was pictured kissing her celebrity partner Seann Walsh after a night out earlier this year.
Both she and Seann quickly apologised after the incident, with Katya insisting during an interview on ‘It Takes Two’ that it was not a reflection on her relationship with her husband.