24 November 2023 , 17:03
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Strictly Come Dancing's Katya Jones' 'smouldering' rehearsal photos with Nigel Harman suggest that the pro choreographer is 'keen' to maintain friendship levels with her soap star partner, according to a body language expert.
The talented pair was spotted looking intimate in the grainy snaps, with the EastEnders actor even planting a kiss on his mentor's cheek in one shot. In another picture, Katya and Nigel are seen embracing sensually as they practice their Rumba ahead of Saturday's live show.
They will perform the hip-heavy dance to Celine Dion's, It's All Coming Back To Me Now, in the hope of getting one step closer to the final and winning the coveted Glitterball Trophy.
Katya Jones and Nigel Harman were pictured in a clinch during rehearsals (SplashNews.com)
(SplashNews.com)Katya has made no secret of her respect for the 50-year-old since the beginning of the show, regularly expressing her pride for his progress over the past few weeks. Many viewers have clocked Nigel's close relationship with his dance partner, however, prompting concerns that he could fall victim to the notorious 'Strictly curse.'
"The smouldering glances exchanged here look very much like part of a routine, but the way Katya clings to Nigel’s back playfully and the cheek-kissing from Nigel to Katya look like rituals that rarely appear as part of any dance choreography," body language expert Judi James told the Mirror Online.
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"There’s a level of intensity here as Nigel presses his face into Katya’s cheek and wraps his hands around her face. Katya’s response looks polite rather than meaningful though, as she seems to smile politely as his cheek kisses are planted," James continued.
"This could just be an intense moment of reward and victory if Nigel feels he has got his routine perfected and Katya is keen to encourage him, but her tendency to perform a wide smile suggests she’s aware of the fact that she was embroiled in one of the first ‘Curse of Strictly’ scandals and is keen to keep the body language signals at a friendship level."
Nigel, who shares a daughter with wife Lucy Liemann, has since dismissed claims of any behind-the-scenes shenanigans. He even claimed the concept of the 'Strictly curse', which suggests that participating in the glitzy competition threatens your relationship in real life, was completely alien to him prior to the show.
"To tell you the truth, I don’t operate or move in those circles, so that’s the first I’ve heard of it. But, you know, it’s inevitable and it’s part of signing up for the show, but I couldn’t be less interested," he told Metro.