Strictly’s Katya Jones reveals unexpected family life outside the ballroom – exclusively

On screen, Katya Jones is one of Strictly Come Dancing’s most loved ballroom professionals. She entered the BBC show in 2016 and won Glitterball with Joe McFadden just a year later.

But away from the cameras, the Russian dancer lives a much slower life. She vowed to buy fast fashion in 2019 and has since continued her environmentally conscious practices.

“I started discovering the effects the fashion industry has on the environment and climate change, and I just couldn’t believe what I was learning,” revealed the self-described environmentalist.

However, it’s not just fashion that has changed in Katya’s life. The professional dancer’s promise to the planet also extends to her home, with Katya purchasing antiques, second-hand furniture and upcycled pieces to decorate her beautiful London property.

In an exclusive interview with HELLO!Katya hangs up her ballroom shoes to reveal exactly how she has perfected her sustainable living, how she sources second-hand furniture and what really happens to waste behind the scenes of Strictly’s wardrobe department.

What motivated you to start living a slower, more sustainable life at home?

Once you expose yourself to the world of sustainability, you start looking at integrating it into every aspect of your life. A few years ago I took up the challenge of not buying new clothes. I went about 18 months without buying anything.

In the end, it didn’t matter how long I continued with it because my way of thinking had already changed. My shopping became more conscious. I rarely buy anything new now, it’s all about second hand shopping, charity shopping, Vinted and Depop.

I also reuse a lot of old stuff. For example, I make headbands from tights, I make custom jackets, and I wear a lot of my grandmother’s and mother’s dresses and love putting my own spin on them.

When I moved, I was amazed at the amount of really good quality furniture I found on the internet. I bought beautiful antique pieces, good value furniture and even things that people gave away for free.

What is your most loved second-hand piece of furniture and why?

My absolute favorite piece in the house is hands down my upcycled plant stand. I rescued a child’s stool from a landfill during one of my morning runs and turned it into a plant stand!

I like to tell the story behind it when people compliment it in my home. It has character and personality.

What are your favorite places to buy sustainable home decor?

You can’t beat a thrift store! One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. It’s all about the right timing. Every now and then you come across exactly what you were looking for, and it feels like a victory!

Another winner is Gumtree. I can scroll through it for hours. If you really put the time and effort into it, you can only completely furnish your home with second-hand furniture and decoration.

You can find so many quality items at bargain prices and even some that are completely free within a short radius of your home. It’s a lot of fun and every time you make a bargain you feel like you’ve won the lottery! What do you like most about fast furniture?

I completely understand why there is such a high demand for fast furniture. It’s convenient, affordable and the choice of styles and designs is limitless. When people rent and move houses regularly, their lifestyle does not always allow them to invest in expensive furniture that will last a lifetime.

If I could change that “throwaway” mentality, I wish people would appreciate fast furniture more. People so often buy furniture without the intention of keeping it. That is why we often see that they are left on the street and are not disposed of properly.

Sustainable fashion is something you have a huge passion for. How does Strictly deal with fashion waste?

The Strict wardrobe department are magicians. No one would ever know that our Remembrance Day outfits were once a Halloween dress, or that a beautiful ballroom dress can be turned into a salsa dress in just a few hours.

Many of our costumes are also used for tours and even travel the world for other countries’ versions of Strictly. One of the highlights of the year is the ‘Strictly Wardrobe Sale’ that takes place at the end of the season for the production team.

Here, more casual items are sold to the crew and given a chance at a new life.

You will even find trousers and T-shirts with, for example, the name label ‘Nikita’ or ‘Giovanni’ on them, as well as shirts with underwear still attached. Sometimes even Claudia Winkleman’s suits can make an appearance!