Strictly professional dancer Neil Jones has married Love Island star Chyna Mills in a quiet ceremony at Marylebone Town Hall, with no family members present following a bitter dispute in which Chyna accused Neil’s mother of racism and bullying.
The couple shared black-and-white photographs from their Wednesday ceremony on Instagram on Friday, showing just the two of them on their wedding day — Chyna in a white Bardot satin gown and Neil in a fitted suit. Their two-year-old daughter Havana, whose baptism last year became the flashpoint for the family fallout, was not pictured at the ceremony. The couple are planning a larger celebration in Italy later this month, though reports suggest Neil’s mother Helen and sister Terri have not been told when or where that event will take place, according to the Sun.
The exclusion of Neil’s family from the wedding follows months of very public acrimony. In December last year, Chyna posted a lengthy statement on Instagram accusing Neil’s mother of “bullying, racism, and constant disrespect” since the moment they met, saying she had given her the opportunity to discuss her concerns but had been ignored. She said Neil’s family had chosen not to attend Havana’s baptism out of “loyalty” to his mother, describing their absence as the “final straw” in a feud that had been “brewing for years.”
Neil’s sister Terri swiftly pushed back, accusing Chyna of dishonesty. “If she wants to spin lies, then look, the truth will come out eventually,” she told the Daily Mail. A source close to Neil and Chyna told the Sun that despite his “efforts over time to understand and address any issues,” the couple still did not know why some family members had taken against Chyna, with her absence from Havana’s life having become a source of deep upset for both of them.
The estrangement has left Neil’s wider family bewildered and hurt, according to a separate source cited by the Sun. “The whole thing is a massive shame. His close and extended family were all there when he married his first wife Katya Jones and felt that was an incredibly special day. It makes it even more painful that they have now been cut out completely.” The source added that the family had been blocked by both Neil and Chyna on social media and “really have no idea what is going on in their lives at all, let alone about their wedding.” Despite the hurt, the insider insisted the family held no ill will. “They don’t want it to seem like there is bad blood. It is their big day and they hope it goes really well.”
Neil, 43, and Chyna, 27, went public with their relationship three years ago. He proposed during a trip to Bali in April 2023, and the couple welcomed Havana in October of that year. Neil is a four-time World Latin Champion and regular Strictly performer who has danced with Toyah Willcox, Alex Scott and Nina Wadia among others, though he has rarely been paired with a celebrity partner in the main competition. He was previously married to fellow Strictly dancer Katya Jones for six years before their relationship ended in the wake of the so-called Strictly curse, after Katya was photographed kissing her celebrity partner, comedian Seann Walsh, while the show was on air.
