NOT JUST JEALOUS: BBC Strictly’s Lewis Cope REVEALS what his girlfriend said about Katya Jones

Katya Jones Lewis Cope BBC Strictly screengrab

Katya Jones and Lewis Cope performed a routine to Creep by Radiohead (Image: BBC)

Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope has said that his girlfriend is his biggest supporter as he continues to fly high on Strictly Come Dancing. The soap star has been continually impressing the judging panel week after week, and during Halloween Night, he scored a perfect 40 alongside his pro partner, Katya Jones. In a recent interview with The Sun, Lewis shared that his girlfriend of seven years has met veteran show professional Katya on several occasions during his time on the show so far. He has also said that his girlfriend, Rachel Maya Lopez, is used to him snogging boys on television.

 

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He said to the publication: “Over the years I’ve had to kiss a lot of people on stage or onscreen, as an actor, so she’s used to me kissing boys actually, but it hasn’t been a problem. Katya and Rachel have all met, it’s never been a conversation between us.”

He added: “Rachel has supported me all the way, she is my biggest supporter, she sends me into rehearsals with a packed lunch, she really looks after me.

“Just before I got onto the show, we managed to get a holiday with just the two of us, she booked us a studio, and she was getting me moving. She is fantastic and amazing.”

Lewis, 30, finished as a runner-up with the hip-hop dance troupe Ruff Diamond on Sky One’s Got to Dance in 2013. He is also known for his role on Emmerdale as Nicky Miligan.

 

The TV star is currently one of the hot favourites to win Strictly Come Dancing, but has been perplexed when people say his performance background gives him an advantage in the BBC Latin and Ballroom competition, as he finds it “a bit of an insult” to professional dancers such as his partner Katya Jones.

Speaking to OK! Magazine, Lewis said: “It’s strange to hear that I’m some kind of ‘professional dancer’.

“It’s been so long since I danced, and I never trained professionally. I did Billy Elliot The Musical when I was 11, but I wasn’t good enough to play Billy Elliot, so I played Michael and just did some tap dance.

“After that, I joined a hip-hop dance crew where I did hip-hop with a group of six lads back in Hartlepool, we did amateur competitions. Then I went on to train to be an actor and I’ve only ever acted since.”

Strictly Come Dancing resumes tonight on BBC One and iPlayer.