{"id":310778,"date":"2025-12-11T21:46:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T21:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/310778\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T21:46:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T21:46:09","slug":"bbc-strictly-come-dancing-veteran-claims-elusive-world-record-live-on-it-takes-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/310778\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC Strictly Come Dancing veteran claims elusive WORLD RECORD live on It Takes Two"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neil Jones finally clinched a long-awaited victory in Strictly Come Dancing’s annual Pro Challenge, smashing his way to a Guinness World Record live on It Takes Two.<\/p>\n

Ahead of this weekend\u2019s semi-final, the BBC spin-off show saw the professionals battle once again for the title awarded to whoever can perform the highest number of a set dance step in just 30 seconds. <\/p>\n

For years, the competition has become something of a subplot among Strictly loyalists, with fans backing their favourite pros to out-kick or out-whisk their colleagues.<\/p>\n

Previous challenges have seen pros attempt rapid-fire Charleston kicks and non-stop Cha Cha time steps, with Kai Widdrington crowned champion last year. <\/p>\n

\"Neil<\/p>\n

Neil Jones has been part of Strictly’s professional lineup since 2016<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

This time, it was all down to samba whisks and early in the series it looked as though Nadiya Bychkova had sealed the win with an impressive 53.<\/p>\n

However, Thursday night\u2019s episode delivered a showdown viewers had been waiting years for: Neil Jones versus Kai Widdrington.<\/p>\n

Mr Jones, who has fallen agonisingly short three years in a row, admitted he desperately wanted the title, not for himself, but for his daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said, \u2018Daddy, I don\u2019t want anything for Christmas, just that,\u2019\u201d he told host Janette Manrara. <\/p>\n

\"Kai<\/p>\n

Kai Widdrington was crowned champion of the challenge last year<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

Ms Manrara quickly turned to Mr Widdrington and teased: \u201cNo pressure \u2014 if this goes wrong, you\u2019re ruining a child\u2019s Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both men then took on the challenge with an adjudicator counting every single step and disqualification. <\/p>\n

Mr Widdrington’s total initially looked strong: 59 attempted steps, but 19 were ruled invalid.<\/p>\n

Mr Jones however, finally had his moment. He delivered 63 steps, with only five disqualified, leaving him with a winning total of 58. <\/p>\n

After years of trailing behind other pros, he erupted with joy, lifting both Mr Widdrington and Ms Manrara off their feet in celebration.<\/p>\n

\"Neil<\/p>\n

Neil Jones delivered 63 steps, with only five disqualified, leaving him with a winning total of 58<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew it all along!\u201d he laughed, visibly thrilled as Guinness World Records adjudicator Will Munford appeared via video to officially confirm the achievement. <\/p>\n

Mr Jones joked: \u201cIt\u2019s taken four years for me to hear that from Will. Thank you \u2014 I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Viewers immediately flooded social media to congratulate the long-serving Strictly professional, many saying his win was overdue.<\/p>\n

“Well done Neil so happy for him getting the record after 3 years in 2nd,” one fan wrote.<\/p>\n

\"Neil<\/p>\n

Neil Jones was tense in the run up to his turn<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

Another posted: “At last @Mr_NJones gets his world record, congratulations Neil #Strictly #ItTakesTwo.”<\/p>\n

A third added: “Well done Neil on your new Samba Whisk world record. #ItTakesTwo,” while another viewer said: \u201cWell-deserved record. Be proud.”<\/p>\n

The Pro Challenge has become a beloved part of It Takes Two, allowing the professionals a rare moment competing against each other rather than guiding their celebrity partners. <\/p>\n

And this year\u2019s result struck a chord with fans who have watched Mr Jones persist year after year only to fall short.<\/p>\n

\"Kai<\/p>\n

Kai Widdrington and Neil Jones celebrated together after Mr Jones win<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

BBC<\/p>\n

The timing of his win lands during a dramatic week for the show, with only four couples remaining in the race for the Glitterball trophy.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s semi-finalists, Balvinder Sopal, George Clarke, Karen Carney and Amber Davies, are preparing for the most demanding weekend of the competition, each performing two routines.<\/p>\n

But for Strictly die-hards, the dancers triumph has become an unexpected highlight of the series, a feel-good win in what many fans described online as an increasingly unpredictable year.<\/p>\n

Mr Jones, who has been part of Strictly\u2019s professional lineup since 2016, has enjoyed many memorable moments on the show, including reaching the final with Alex Scott in 2019. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Neil Jones finally clinched a long-awaited victory in Strictly Come Dancing’s annual Pro Challenge, smashing his way to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":310779,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[243,830,96,1598,391,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-310778","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-bbc","9":"tag-celebrity","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-strictly-come-dancing","12":"tag-tv","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310778\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}