So lots of changes! But I expected nothing less from my experience on Strictly. I’m so proud of Phil – I tamed “the Cat” and we made it to be the 9th couple voted out of the competition.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a lot of hard work. Thanks for all your amazing comments on my Foxtrot last Saturday – it was a blast to do. Wow.

There are only a few weeks left of this series – so I’m excited to share that after Christmas I’ll be working on some projects with my NEW pro partner, Klaus Kongsdal.

He’s an amazing dancer and has had some Strictly in his life too. With Denmark’s Dancing with the Stars, same thing!

I’ll keep you posted on more of this. But for now we’re coming up with new choreography and lots of interesting plans in the work for Spring!!

Between Phil’s knee surgery (he’s recovering nicely, thanks for all your wishes) and still being new at all of this – - I’ve not been able to blog. My bad. x

Thought it’d be fun to share a night out we had a few weeks back. A whole bunch of us from Strictly Come Dancing – including both my pro partner Brendan Cole and my celeb partner Phil Tufnell – managed a night out to blow off the steam. We caught the theatre production of “Dirty Dancing” on the eve of Patrick Swayze’s death.

The night was so special, but getting there was crazy. It one of the wildest down pours of rain I’ve ever seen. When I arrived at the theatre I looked like a homeless person. I highly recommend you catch this show.

Sorry it’s been a bit…but heavy heavy rehearsals and the first weekend of Strictly Come Dancingshows makes for a busy girl.

And somewhere in between it all of us Strictly girls managed a photo shoot with Hello Magazine.

It was amazing to wear these gorgeous designer clothes. You just felt instantly glam! It’s a three-page spread. Check….it…ouuuut.

So I’m really liking this Twitter thing. I’ve only been doing it a few months, but it’s such a neat way to get know other dancers, fans of Strictly, stay in touch with friends around the world.

And I have to say I really cracked up laughing at this picture for The Mirror @anngripper: Who are Strictly Come Dancing’s Twitterati? http://tinyurl.com/mjt588 #scd

Ann gave me props for being a bit tigerish with my training (I prefer feisty). And even my partner Tuffner (@philtufnell) has a Twitter life all his own. He’s even better at it than me! Love it.

By the way @katyavirshilas really is me.

Work hard, play hard. I’m young and in London so why the heck not! Despite all the aching body parts from long days of practices I’ve been managing a good amount of girl time to blow off some steam in my dance shoes – and I had Sunday off.

I’ve managed to do a whirlwind of fun, hot spots over the last few weeks: Boujis, Jalouse, Maddox, May Fair, Nobu, Bungalow 8, and one of my fav from this weekend: Sketch. It’s a little bit of Alice in Wonderland, but in a good crazy grown up way. The bathrooms are little private pods that you step into. Very funny.

Next up…practice, practice, practice.

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One of the things I love about traveling is all the new things you experience, even the little new things like street signs.

My favorite street sign is right in my new neighborhood, it’s a Humped Zebra Crossing.

A term used in the UK for a giant speed bump with a striped crosswalk on top of it. Okay that makes sense, but come on, that’s really funny.

So just hours after the BBC Strictly reveal it was time to change clothes and do BBC’s The One Show. Aliona and Rav, joined Phil and I to represent the Strictly family.

I have to say that the One Show’s green room (these pics are from there) was so much fun – Alan Cummings was one of the guests so hanging out with him was a treat. First of all because he’s just a cool dude. second because one of my first movies was with him (it’s a dark comedy musical?) – Reefer Madness that was filmed in Vancouver. It was so funny how we could both recite some of the crazy lyrics from the songs. Wow.

And yet another treat was after the interview – John Sargeant (one of the hosts) joined us for wine and he shared all kinds of glowing stories about his great experience last season on Strictly Come Dancing.

Alan Cummings

Phil Tufnell

Katya Virshilas (me)

Rav Wilding

Aliona Vilani

What a crazy ride of a day – it’s the day of the BBC Strictly Come Dancing reveal of the line up – pros and celebs. This picture is at the start of my day VERY early to get hair and makeup all sorted for what turned out to be…

a twirl on the dance floor with my new partner and an afternoon of – well almost like speed dating with the media. This is the part of my adventure that will take some getting used to. But I loved every minute of it too – because I have a fantastic wingman.

My amazing celebrity partner is Phil Tufnell.

Charismatic and controversial, Phil Tufnell is the former England bad-boy cricketer with a talent for spinning the ball on the field and getting in trouble off it. From sports quiz show ‘They Think It’s All Over,’ and punditry on Sky Sports and Channel 4, to appearances on current affairs, chat and quiz shows. He’s written ‘Phil Tufnell’s’ A To Z of Cricket’ and his autobiography, ‘What Now?’

Shopping!!! My friend and I hit London’s Regent Street - with a purpose. Tomorrow (Aug 25) is the press conference to finally announce what Strictly Come Dancing fans have been waiting for: The pros, the celebs, the partners.

So of course I need a new outfit. But my fav part of the outfit…

In the TopShop Boutique I found these gorgeous pink suede pumps. They make me so-o-o-o happy. I love shoes. Love shoes. New heels to make tomorrow a breeze of dancing & interviews.

I’ve only been in London about two weeks now, but that didn’t stop me from being so excited to have my first house guest to join me from Vancouver. So many amazing things are happening right now, but as you can imagine it’s just that much better to share with a friend.

She barely settled in before I made Shelley shake off the jetlag and head out to the theatre. My friend Lauren is in the chorus line of the show Wicked the Musical. The costumes were amazing!! And trust me we checked out the details – we had 5th row seats (thank you Lauren!), and had the pleasure of sitting with two lovely Strictly fans. Then Lauren and another cast mate joined us for apres-show cocktails to celebrate being with friends in London.