Strictly Come Dancing pro demands one major change for 2025 series

Strictly Come Dancing professional Neil Jones has one huge demand for the new 2025 series - a contestant who uses a wheelchair. The 43-year-old, who joined the BBC dance competition in 2016, will be returning as a pro dancer for his tenth year in a row later this year. He originally started dancing at the age of three and has represented Finland, the Netherlands, and the UK in major dance competitions. Neil and fellow Strictly star, Katya Jones, became four-time British National Champions before they both decided to join the long-running BBC series. Last year, he was partnered with Toyah Willcox, where they finished in 14th place.

Speaking exclusively with Express Online, Neil was quizzed on who his ideal celebrity partner would be. He revealed, "I've always said Keith Lemon. I think he'd be fantastic. He absolutely loves the show. But I would really love to see wheelchair dancing."

He continued, "I know that we had a group dance last year, and we had one lady within the group dance in a wheelchair. We say it with everything. If you see someone on TV, let's say ginger, as a kid, it makes you just go, 'Oh wow, I can do that.'

"I think it's really important, and that's what Strictly touches base with so much. You've got to have the complete diversity of celebs throughout, because then you never know who you're touching at home, in the way that there could be some little kid there, or some adult, or somebody who's like, 'Oh, I could never do this.'

"I used to teach a lot of wheelchair dancing and a lot of people with disabilities in all different lights. I think the important thing is that within dance, it's not all about footwork.

"Dance is about interpretation to music, and that's the same in Latin and Ballroom, and I think that's what we should find a way of showing that."

Neil is also performing his show Gingerland at Lichfield Festival on July 10th and 11th. The description reads, "Gingerland is a futuristic dance-theatre spectacular where redheads are outlawed for the extraordinary powers hidden in their DNA. In a world that fears difference, one young woman's journey through history, identity, and rebellion sets the stage for a powerful uprising.

"Packed with original music, jaw-dropping choreography, and unexpected twists, Gingerland is a celebration of individuality-without giving too much away."

The concept was born from Neil Jones' personal experience as a redhead. Speaking about the show, he said, "This is a project that I've had on my mind for for years now, I love creating shows. I'm very much a storyteller.

"So I thought, I'll play with that and actually say as if we have a superpower and we're almost the new generation of superheroes. With all of that together, I went, 'Let's make it into an actual storyline with characters, and I can be the narrator of the whole show.'"

To find out more about the show and tickets, click here.