EXCLUSIVE: Strictly Come Dancing star John Nellis’ body transformation during training for the hit BBC contest has saw his professional partner Katya Jones pay him huge compliments
He’s’ got 20 million football fans who love watching him rub shoulders with the likes of Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo, but John Nellis has a new set of admirers – grannies! The YouTuber has become a huge hit with the older generation thanks to his stint on Strictly alongside his professional partner, Katya Jones.
After nearly two months in the BBC ballroom, the content creator has seen his Youtube channel grow by another million subscribers. And he’s thrilled he’s attracting a new audience. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, John laughs: “I’ve got grannies calling me gorgeous! It’s great! I am all about it. My fans are normally teenage boys and guys in their 20s.
“I think my female audience is like 30 or 40% before this because I try and make football videos that everyone can watch and I have women in the conversation. But that’s it.
“I got a few messages about that foxtrot saying it was beautiful. So I’m here for it.”
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It’s quite the change for a man who has built his career around the beautiful game rather than the ballroom. The 33-year-old once worked as an air traffic controller but quit to follow his passion, creating football content online.
And he’s turned his love for the sport into a hugely lucrative career interviewing some of its biggest names. His videos range from football challenges and quizzes to behind-the-scenes encounters with superstar players, often putting their knowledge and skills to the test.
But while millions of people are used to seeing him chatting confidently with sporting royalty, Strictly has made him realise that his influence can stretch far beyond football.
John admits he used to roll his eyes at celebrities who gushed about the BBC dance competition. But now, having seen the excitement his performances have generated back home in Northern Ireland, he’s been forced to eat his words.
He says: “I had a real moment of realisation the last 24 hours, truthfully. I always thought it sounded a little bit, I don’t know what the word is at the Beeb, but a wee bit w**ky, people saying things like, ‘Oh, it brings people together and it’s really good for people and it gives people hope,’ and all that sort of stuff.
“I always thought that sounded a little bit corporate. But what I’ve honestly realised, I’ve published lots of YouTube videos, I don’t think any of them have had the same impact as what I’ve done on Strictly.
“In terms of the community I grew up in, people are having watch parties. Pubs are full of people having watch parties and getting together. I have so many family, and they’re all buzzing for Saturday night.
“So it’s like you really are doing something that people really can’t wait for. It’s big. And it matters. Maybe some of my YouTube content could learn from it and actually, I don’t know, do more things that matter, not things that just get views.”
It’s a remarkable admission from someone whose livelihood has been built on attracting clicks and views.
While John is used to performing in front of enormous online audiences, nothing could have prepared him for the nerves of stepping onto the Strictly dance floor.
Even meeting Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the most famous footballers on the planet, was a different sort of pressure.
John explains: “I remember the first time I ever worked with footballers, I was obviously very nervous. Now it’s kind of like another day in the office, I’ve done it so much.
“Ronaldo was different. Ronaldo was the one time that I was genuinely starstruck and didn’t really know what to say. But with the dancing, it’s so strange. I was a bag of nerves on Saturday.”
He might be nervous but there’s been no sign of it on the dance floor with the pair picking up 35 points last weekend for their tantalising tango.
They won high praise from the judges and now he’s one of the bookies favourite to win. Not that John is allowing himself to think that far ahead, he’s just pleased he wasn’t the first celebrity to get the boot.
He admits: “I’ve definitely got messages to my family and friends saying, ‘I just don’t want to go out week one. That’s the goal.’
“Well, week two. I was like, ‘I’d love to not be first out, but other than that, I have zero expectations.’ Now, I’m just really happy to be here!
“But look, the reality is when you come out and you do that in week one the pressure kind of gets a wee bit on and it’s more like, ‘Let’s manage expectations here.’
“We’re going to go out, we’re going to try our best every week. I’m sure the scrutiny will come. I’m sure I’ll have a bad week here or there. God knows how many more weeks I’ll even get, but just keep trying our best.”
While John maybe playing down his chances of going all the way, there’s another prize he’s got his eye on. The relentless hours of dancing are already transforming his physique, with the star shedding over a stone in weight since he started the show.
He admits the exhausting schedule has left him running on empty, but there’s one thing keeping him motivated, the prospect of unveiling a brand-new body to millions of viewers.
“Do you know what? The body is holding up,” he laughs. “I thought I would probably have an injury by now. I don’t. I’m not injured. I’m just fatigued.
“There’s no niggles in my ligaments, tendons or joints. It’s all fine. I’m losing weight, a six-pack’s pushing it! We’ll aim for two and we’ll go from there. But I keep saying Katya’s job is to keep me in this long enough so that I’m sexy enough to do a samba!”
And it seems Katya is already plotting how to make the most of her partner’s physical transformation.
The professional dancer has teased that John could eventually perform topless, although he’s insisting he needs a few more weeks to get into shape.
He says with a wink: “We’ll tease! I need to shred for another month. I want to be a gladiator or something. I’ve never really had a sexy era. I’ve always been a bit chunky.
“This is probably the best I’ve been, so let’s keep it going! This is the sexiest John Nellis is ever going to be!”
His new found fitness and confidence couldn’t come at a better time because John is about to welcome his first child with with wife Shannon.
He smiles: “I’m absolutely buzzing, a little girl as well! We’re due in February. I have a son already, my step son, I’ve been in his life since he was two so I’m just a daddy and that’s that.
“But I’ve never done the whole, proper baby thing. I think I changed one or two of his nappies but I’m going to end up changing hundreds with the next one. I think I better enjoy this sleep while I can get it!”
There’s no time for rest just yet and fortunately, John’s got one of Strictly’s most experienced professional dancers putting him through his paces.
Katya, who lifted the Glitterball Trophy with Joe McFadden in 2017, has become known for her ambitious choreography and ability to bring out the best in her celebrity partners.
And John’s determined not to let her down. As he prepares to perform his salsa tonight, he confesses: “The only goal I had was to give 110%.
“So that’s what I’m doing. I’m eating right, I’m sleeping right, I’m recovering right, and I’m training as hard as I can. The creative vision is all Katya. Everything is Katya.
“The fact my hands are where they are and my feet are where they are…the whole thing is me just doing what I’d been trained to do!”
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