Katya Jones and her husband Neil were all smiles on the red carpet at the Macmillan Ball in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support on Wednesday. However, she has since revealed the heartbreaking reason they attended the event in an emotional Instagram post. The Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer revealed that she and Neil had lost one of their friends to cancer recently, as she opened up about the devastating loss for the first time.

"Recently we lost our friend to cancer. It was so sudden and left us all in shock," Katya wrote. "To see and hear real stories about what Macmillan Cancer Support do was so important. I’m sure it touched all of us in many ways."

Katya and Neil Jones attended the Macmillan Ball on Saturday

The couple were inundated with support after sharing the news, with fans commenting on the photo with their condolences. "I’m sorry to hear about your friend. Sending big love your way," one wrote. "Great cause and your support would mean so much to a lot of people," another commented.

Katya and Neil put on a united front at the charity event, with Katya saying: "It feels really special to be here tonight at the Macmillan Ball. I can't begin to imagine how difficult it must be to face a cancer diagnosis – especially at Christmas. It's a comfort to know that Macmillan is there to help people with all the emotions that such a devastating illness brings."

The Strictly Come Dancing professional revealed one of their friends recently passed away

The couple’s loved-up red carpet appearance comes weeks after they were rocked by speculation over their marriage, following pictures of Katya kissing her celebrity dance partner Seann Walsh. The dancer expressed her remorse over the incident and said her marriage was just as strong as ever. "Obviously, I can't apologise enough to everyone it hurt and involved but the main thing for me is that me and Neil are absolutely fine and that's what matters the most to me right now," Katya said on It Takes Two.