Beverley Lyons
STRICTLY star Katya Jones was on a high as she celebrated her thirtieth birthday with dancer husband Neil Jones, Karen Clifton and her boyfriend David Webb, and fellow pro dancers Diane Buswell, and Oti Mabuse on the tour bus as they travelled from Edinburgh to Aberdeen.
Katya who earlier performed at the Playhouse in Edinburgh with the Strictly Professional Tour joked ‘I expected a proper singer to sing for me’ and was then serenaded by opera singer David as she and the rest of the performers drank and played games on their private bus.
Beer and fizzy drinks were aplenty and the poker chips were out as the dancers laughed while David, who cosied up at the back of the coach alongside Karen, sang an operatic version of Happy Birthday to a delighted Katya who stood up to hear him.
Neil told Katya that thirty was the new twenty as he and the team sat around the bus amidst whistles and cheers.
Oti commented online: “And the bus explodes in joy”
Gorka Marquez who had earlier posted a picture of himself on social media exploring Edinburgh’s sites enjoyed the evening while AJ Pritchard opted to try and get some sleep by wearing an eye mask.
When the crew reached Aberdeen they even had a laugh by trying out a new Snapchat filter which transforms your face into the opposite sex - and Katya and Karen Clifton both looked amused as they checked themselves out as men.
Diane Buswell had celebrated her thirtieth birthday with boyfriend Joe Sugg, 27, just last week on May 6 a day ahead of the Nottingham leg of the tour.
The two even put up a YouTube video of themselves in bed as they joked that Diane, who taught Joe to dance on the telly show before they fell for one another, was a cougar.
Joe didn’t manage to catch up with Diane while she was in Scotland because he was so busy attending the BAFTA TV awards last night.
Strictly’s Shirley Ballas causes blushes all round as she flirted with the blogger.
Joe did however visit Scotland earlier in the week as a guest at Dumfries House where he met up with Prince Charles. Looking smooth in his suit, Joe mingled with the Prince and guests as he learned all about the craft courses on offer with the Prince's Foundation - and as Joe used to be a thatcher himself, he also went back to his roots by taking part in a thatching workshop.
As he posed with some pipers, he said of his experience: “Pleased to announce that I’ve joined a new band. I’m at Dumfries House finding out about the traditional craft skills run by the Princes Foundation.