Katya Jones finds herself embroiled in a controversy over alleged choreography plagiarism on Strictly Come Dancing. Former Strictly star Oti Mabuse has joined the chorus of criticism against a Dancing With The Stars professional, accusing them of imitating Katya Jones’ dance routines. Oti took to TikTok to highlight similarities between choreography used by this year’s DWTS winner, Witney Carson, and Katya Jones from Strictly.
In a TikTok video shared on Thursday, a social media user paired dance clips of Katya and Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope with clips of Witney and her partner, Robert Irwin, showcasing similar dance moves. The user captioned the video with a statement implying that Witney had once again copied Katya’s choreography.
Responding to the video, Oti Mabuse supported the claim and indicated that this was not the first instance of alleged copying by Witney. She commented, “Been saying this for years…”
The video referenced two specific routines by Katya: her paso doble to The Plaza of Execution and her couple’s choice to Creep by Radiohead. Similar moves from these routines were observed in Witney and Robert’s performances on DWTS.
A debate ensued among fans about the origin of the dance moves, with some suggesting that Katya may have copied Witney. However, the timeline of performances indicated that Katya and Lewis had executed the moves before Witney and Robert. Another fan pointed out that the moves were not exclusive to Katya, as they had been performed by other dancers in the past.
In the end, Witney and Robert emerged as the winners of the Dancing With The Stars series, with Robert gaining popularity beyond the show’s usual audience. Meanwhile, Katya and Lewis, who had consistently received high scores on Strictly, faced elimination in the quarter-final round.
The Mirror reached out to Oti’s representatives for a response to the controversy. For more entertainment news and updates, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Threads.