Strictly Come Dancing star Katya Jones is close to winning a behind-the-scenes battle to partner boxer Nicola Adams, we can reveal.
Many of the female professionals are desperate to be part of the show’s first same-sex pairing after Nicola said she would only dance with a woman.
Whoever teams up with the ex-Olympic fighter will make TV history when the BBC hit returns next month.
But a source claimed bosses are set to put Katya, 31, and Nicola, 37, together.
They believe they will have chemistry and are poised to pair them up if they hit it off when they meet.
The women are also a similar height.
In past series, pro dancers and celebrities spent time with each other before being put together so producers could see which couples had a spark.
Nicola Adams and girlfriend Ella talking about ‘painful’ homophobic trolling (Image: ITV)
But due to the Covid restrictions bosses have used their judgment to pick the pairs this year.
A Strictly source said: “The producers had been considering multiple dancers to pair with Nicola.
“It was a very appealing partnership to a lot of the female dancers and many of them wanted to be part of the first all-female pairing in Strictly Come Dancing history.
“Unfortunately, the dancers have been unable to spend time with the contestants because of Covid.
Bosses believe Katya and Nicola will have chemistry (Image: 2019 Ricky Vigil M)
“Producers were excited by Katya’s strong interest in being paired with Nicola and are confident she would be the best fit.
“They are extremely excited to see them together and they expect the audience to be totally wowed.
“It’s uncharted territory for everybody involved but we’re all just here to have fun and the show and public are behind them all the way.”
BBC bosses confirmed earlier this month that Nicola would be the first contestant to dance with a woman.
Nicola would be the first contestant to dance with a woman (Image: 2019 Getty Images)
The sporting star previously said it was her idea to pair up with a female dancer.
Nicola, who is in a relationship with blogger Ella Baig, said: “They asked and I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it, but I want to dance with another female.’
“It’s really important. It’s a big step for the show as well. It’s nice to see that we’re able to move on – I just can’t wait to get some dancing done.”
“It’s time for change and this is a step in the right direction.
“It’ll be nice for the LGBT community to see there are same-sex couples on the show.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
