Strictly Come Dancing fans celebrated one star as he broke a world record.
Janette Manrara made an announcement on It Takes Two (Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing star Neil Jones has celebrated breaking a world record.
The professional dancer, who doesn’t have a celebrity partner this series, joined the BBC programme in 2016 and has since become a firm fan-favourite on the show.
In the past, Neil has been paired with Alex Scott, Nina Wadia and Toyah Willcox, and has taken part in the Strictly group performances.
Neil has now lifted a different kind of trophy, as he won the It Takes Two professional dance challenge.
During the spin-off show, the professional dancers have attempted to do the most amount of samba whisks in 30 seconds, judged by Shirley Ballas and a Guinness World Records adjudicator.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Neil Jones first competed in 2019 with footballer Alex Scott (Image: BBC)READ MORE: Stephen Mulhern makes candid health admission ‘I was very unwell’READ MORE: This Morning viewers ‘switch off’ over ’embarrassing’ Christmas segment
They timed each pro and watched the footage back to confirm the technique was correct or if any of the steps had to be disqualified.
On Thursday’s programme, Neil was announced as a winner with 58 whisks, after five further moves were disqualified.
He said: “It didn’t feel anything like a normal whisk but I didn’t care. I was thinking about the footwork and the speed and that was it.
“I’ve spent quite a few years being second, it’s got to be my time to be first.”
Kai Widdrington and Neil Jones went head to head (Image: BBC)
He had earlier joked that his win would “mean a lot to my daughter”, saying: “That’s what she wants, she said to me, ‘Daddy, I don’t want anything for Christmas, just that, if you can get me that.’ I said, I’ll do my best.”
After going up against fellow pro Kai Widdrington and coming out on top, Neil picked up Kai and host Janette Manrara in celebration.
Fans were over the moon for him, as one said: “So pleased for Neil! He finally won something.”
Neil took home the world record after coming in second place (Image: BBC)
“Very well deserved,” another said, as someone else wrote: “Just brilliant.”
“Aww delighted for Neil,” another fan wrote, while someone else commented: “It’s about damn time. Neil’s proudest #Strictly moment!!!”
One viewer added: “Well done Neil so happy for him getting the record after 3 years in 2nd. Now give him a partner next year.”
Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two airs at 6.30pm on BBC Two and iPlayer.
