Former Strictly pro Vincent Simone has backed the controversial decision to leave long-standing pro Neil Jones without a partner again this year.
The Strictly 2025 couples were announced at the launch show on Saturday night (September 20). And, sadly for Neil and his army of fans, the flame-haired pro has been left without a celebrity partner again.
Neil Jones left without Strictly partner – again!
Neil has been on the show since 2016. In that time, he’s had just three celebrity partners. Alex Scott was his first, back in 2019 – they reached the quarter-finals. In 2021, Neil was paired with Nina Wadia. They were eliminated in 15th place. He went one better in 2024 when he was paired with Toyah Wilcox. They were the second pair voted out.
Strictly fans are in uproar, namely because new male pro Julian Caillon has come in and been partnered with a celeb in his first year. He’s dancing with EastEnders icon Balvinder Sopal.
And poor old Neil, 43, meanwhile, has been relegated to the group dances.
Neil Jones responds to uproar from Strictly fans
The star himself has poked fun at the BBC’s decision to bench him in a cheeky Instagram video shared today (September 23). He is seen attempting to throw a pen into a cup in the clip, captioned: “If I get the pen in the cup I will get a celeb partner this year.” He then throws the pen in the complete opposite direction of the cup.
Neil also wrote: “It’s all jokes and giggles and no matter with or without a partner I just love being part of @bbcstrictly so thank you for all your love. But come on tell me who’s your favourite couple?”
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Fans made their feelings clear in the comments section. “Gutted for you,” said one. “Why does Neil never get a partner, nearly every year he’s not partnered up, it seems unfair,” said another.
But former Strictly pro Vincent Simone has exclusively told ED! that the decision “keeps professionals on their toes” and stops them from becoming “cocky”.
‘It keeps them on their toes’
Speaking on behalf of Paddy Power Games, he said Strictly bosses aren’t obliged to look after their loyal long-serving pros over their new ones.
“It’s nice to mix and match every year, which keeps the professionals on their toes,” he told us. “It’s a good thing because sometimes, professionals can get cocky about the show and become big-headed. It keeps them on their toes.”
He then expressed his support for Julian.
“I met one of the new dancers, Julian Caillon, a few weeks ago at a party, and he’s such a lovely guy. He deserves a partner this year so that the public can get to know him,” said Vincent, who was on the show from 2006 to 2012.
Strictly pro predicts two early exits
Vincent also had some tough love for Ross King and Stefan Dennis, who’s paired with pregnant Dianne Buswell. Vincent is convinced one of the men will be eliminated from the series first.
Speaking about their launch show performances, Vincent shared: “The worst dance I saw was Ross King. Which is a shame because, as a character, he’s one of the most loved celebrities in the show.
“It’ll either be Ross King or Stefan Dennis to go first, purely based on the dancing,” he predicted.
He also shared a controversial opinion about Thomas Skinner, who’s found himself at the centre of scandal ahead of the live shows.
Strictly pro admits ‘I love Thomas Skinner’
“I’m sure the public will agree with me, but this year’s cohort are such a lovely bunch – so far, I love all of them. I love Thomas Skinner as a character and think he’ll be fun to watch,” he shared.
Vincent also named George Clarke as this year’s “dark horse”.
“They all have something special about them this year which makes it interesting to watch,” he added.
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday night (September 27) at 6.55pm on BBC One.
Read more: Strictly star Ellie Goldstein handed huge blow ahead of first live show
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