KATYA JONES CLARIFIES COMMENT ABOUT LAWRENCE ROBB ON STRICTLY

Strictly Come Dancing professional Katya Jones has clarified what she said about Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb during the show's live broadcast. Robb made his Strictly debut on Saturday, dancing a paso doble with partner Jowita Przystal that earned 20 points from the judges. As the camera cut to Jones watching from upstairs with fellow professionals and celebrities, she appeared to turn to fellow dancer Aleksandra Isaeva and mouth a word about Robb, sparking speculation online. On Tuesday, broadcaster Ed Balls, Jones's dance partner from the 2016 series, told Good Morning Britain viewers he believed she had said "fit". Jones later contacted Balls directly to correct the record.

Analysing the clip again on Wednesday's programme, Balls said he still believed in his "heart of hearts" that Jones had said "fit", but that she had sent him a WhatsApp message reading "I said fierce!", accompanied by a crying-laughing emoji. A screenshot of the message was shown on screen for viewers. The exchange followed a strong opening weekend for Jones on the series, during which she partnered social media personality John Nellis.

Jones and Nellis topped the leaderboard on the first live show with a foxtrot to "Ordinary" by Alex Warren, scoring 31 points out of 40. Judge Anton Du Beke said he was "stunned" by the performance, while head judge Shirley Ballas described it as the "best dance of the night". The pairing has been highlighted as one to watch as the series continues.