STRICTLY stars Katya Jones and Lewis Hope have found themselves at the center of a cheating row, with fans claiming the duo broke a show rule.
The pair performed a challenging Jive during the Instant Dance challenge on Saturday night’s live show, following a tense rehearsal earlier in the week.
Some viewers allege that 36-year-old professional Katya was giving Lewis instructions during the challenge, in which couples are allowed just ten seconds on the dancefloor to discuss their routine before performing.
The controversy stems from a moment on the stairs just before their Jive, when Katya reportedly demonstrated a move with her arm and leg for Lewis.
Celebrities and professionals are required to stand separately ahead of the dance to prevent any communication. However, Katya appeared to lift her leg to the side — a move that ultimately featured at the end of their routine.
Annoyed fans quickly took to social media to voice their criticism of the move.
One person wrote on X: “No conferring until the ten seconds, yet Katya does this to signal to Lewis to do her Blackpool leg move. I’m sorry, but that’s cheating in the Instant Dance, plain and simple. #StrictlyComeDancing.”
Another commented: “Katya & Lewis clearly had that final move planned no matter which dance they got… #Strictly.”
A third added: “So much for the professionals not talking to the celebs before the ten seconds. Katya showed Lewis the leg move on the stairs, and Nikita and Amber were shouting to each other before Karen danced. Surely that breaks the rules of this challenge. #Strictly.”
Despite the claims, the dancing duo received support from others, who dismissed the cheating allegations, with one even describing the claims as “bitter”.
One wrote: “LEWIS AND KATYA DID NOT CHEAT IN THE INSTANT DANCE CHALLENGE!!
“It was never said that the couples couldn’t signal to each other on the stairs!!
“You’re all just bitter that he’s the best dancer and it’s pathetic trying to bring him down like that. #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing.”
Another fan defended the pair, writing: “‘People are saying they cheated because Katya signalled to Lewis on the stairs about the jump through her legs. But that wasn’t even part of the Jive — just a bit of fun at the very end. And they NEVER said couples couldn’t signal to each other anyway.”
One added: “If I see one more comment like this about Lewis and Katya — THEY ALL REUSED ELEMENTS OF THEIR OLD DANCES. That’s literally the point.”
The BBC declined to comment when approached by The Sun.
Viewers were left baffled by the “chaotic” debut of the Instant Dance challenge, which featured judges swapping seats and presenter Claudia Winkleman sporting a fruit hat.
Fans, however, seemed to enjoy the spontaneous nature of the segment and called for more similar moments. One wrote: “This is pure chaos and I love it!” while another added: “This is chaos… do it every week.”
In the scoring, Lewis earned the full six points, Balvinder Sopal received five, Amber Davies scored four, Alex Kingston got three, George Clarke picked up two, and Karen Carney finished last with just one point.