BBC Strictly Come Dancing pro Katya Jones has been announced as special guest judge for next year’s Strictly Inverness, the popular dance competition which raises funds for local charities Highland Hospice and Inverness Ice Centre.
Katya, currently partnered on screen with social media star and You Tuber John Nellis, has been a part of Strictly Come Dancing for 10 years. She lifted the Glitterball Trophy with actor Joe McFadden in 2017, was part of the show’s first same sex pairing in 2020 and her Gangnam Style routine with the politician Ed Balls in 2016 received a BAFTA nomination for ‘TV Moment of the Year.’
Katya, nine-times British National champion in Latin American dancing and three-times world champion, is no stranger to Strictly Inverness. She and her 2025 dance partner Lewis Cope visited the city in April to deliver a dance workshop, helping raise funds for this year’s competition.
Karen McBey, Events Manager for Inverness Ice Centre, said, “We are absolutely delighted to have secured Katya as our celebrity judge for 2027. She was a joy to work with earlier this year, and everyone who took part in her dance workshop just loved her. She will be a huge draw for our 2027 final.”
Katya Jones commented, “We loved our short trip to Inverness this year for the workshop and I’m absolutely delighted to be joining as a judge for the Strictly Inverness Grand Final.”
Next year’s shows will run from Wednesday 19 to Saturday 22 May, taking place in Inverness Ice Centre. Alongside the 32 dancers competing, the ‘All Stars’ group dance will return – as well as a new group competition format for the Wednesday night launch show.
Applications for dancers and All Stars remain open until Sunday 25th October, while dance groups are invited to apply for the launch night competition until Friday 31st October.
To view more information on each category, or to apply, please click here.
