Social media creator John Nellis has revealed he is completely “blown away” by the support he has received from Northern Ireland during his run on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing. Hailing from Newcastle, County Down, the sports content creator admits he now carries a personal responsibility for “making or breaking” his large family’s weekend routines.
Nellis made his debut on the hit show’s opening live broadcast on Saturday, September 26, performing a Foxtrot routine alongside professional dance partner Katya Jones. Despite never having attended a single dance class before joining the series, Nellis and Jones managed to top the leaderboard in week one, catching both the judges and viewers off guard.
From Football Interviews to the Ballroom Floor
Before swapping football for footwork, Nellis built a digital career interviewing major names in world sport, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappe. His YouTube content and viral videos helped him amass more than 15 million followers across platforms, earning him the title of Sports Creator of the Year at the 2024 TikTok Awards UK & Ireland.
Reflecting on his transition from an air traffic controller at Cork Airport to prime-time television, Nellis admitted that entering mainstream media was never part of his original career plan.
“To transcend social media and to end up on actual media or the TV that we all grew up watching – it wasn’t part of the plan – but I am buzzing it is happening because every day I am living someone’s dream and I’m coming in and learning to dance with one of the best in the world,” Nellis shared.
The Realities of Competition and Physical Exhaustion
While the initial opening weeks felt like an exciting honeymoon period, highlighted by his week-one leaderboard triumph, Nellis quickly discovered the physical and mental demands of the competition.
Entering the training room to start completely from scratch each week with limited preparation time brought intense fatigue. Rather than looking too far ahead to the grand final, Nellis adopted a grounded, week-by-week strategy, stating his primary goal was simply to avoid being the first celebrity eliminated.
Carrying the Weight of Northern Ireland’s Support
The scale of backing from his home region became fully apparent to Nellis several weeks into the competition. Coming from a tight-knit family, including roughly 30 cousins on his father’s side alone, he quickly realized the communal impact of his television appearances.
“I have a huge family… so there are a couple of hundred people who sit down every Saturday night, and I now make or break their Saturday night,” Nellis explained. Beyond his immediate relatives, local bars across Northern Ireland have screened his performances, creating a wave of encouragement that has left him both humbled and mindful of the pressure.
Nellis and his partner Katya Jones continue their journey on BBC One, stepping back out onto the dance floor to take on Icons Week routines inspired by some of history’s most celebrated recording artists.
