Strictly Come Dancing star Wynne Evans has shared his upset after claims he behaved inappropriately towards pro partner Katya Jones during Saturday night’s live show.
Wynne has broken his silence after footage appeared to show an awkward exchange between the pair during Saturday’s Strictly (October 12).
It also follows Katya’s Instagram Story about the incident, which she has slammed as “absurd”.
Wynne Evans addresses new Strictly scandal
During the fourth live show of Strictly Come Dancing, Wynne, aged 52, was seen placing his arm around 35-year-old Katya’s waist. His actions prompted her to brush his hand away as it moved along her waist.
This incident, followed by Katya ignoring Wynne’s attempt at a high five, sparked speculation and concern among viewers on social media.
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales earlier today, where he hosts a show, Wynne shared: “I’m absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day.”
He added: “It’s not nice to live in that time, but basically Katya and I are really, really close and we’re really good friends, and on Saturday night we made a stupid joke.
“It was a stupid joke that went wrong, okay? We thought it was funny. It wasn’t funny. It has been totally misinterpreted.”
He then continued: “Everything’s on Katya’s socials. She’s talked about it. She’s explained that it was a joke. She wasn’t offended in the least. She doesn’t feel uncomfortable.
“We’ve got a brilliant friendship, an absolutely tight friendship, and I’m sorry if anybody was offended by it, but it was a joke. And that’s all there is. There is no real story, really.”
Wynne then said that he hopes the incident won’t be what he’s remembered for when he exits the show.
“I’m absolutely still up for it. I’m having the best time of my life. I just don’t want this to be the bit that people remember.”
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Katya Jones addresses Wynne Evans backlash
Responding to the rumours, Katya took to Instagram to clear the air last night. In a video, she explained that what viewers interpreted as discomfort was just an inside joke between her and her dance partner.
“Happy Sunday everyone,” Katya began. “Now I need to make something crystal clear. The hand incident that happened on Saturday night was a very silly, very silly inside joke between Wynne and I. So even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended me in any way is complete nonsense.
“It’s quite absurd actually. Can we just focus on how brilliantly he’s doing and what an amazing dancer he’s becoming?” she mused.
Katya excused herself when the doorbell rang. “Delivery, sorry got to go, lots of love, bye!” she concluded the video.
Fans react
However, not all fans were convinced by Katya’s explanation.
“You’re not explaining how it was a joke?” one fan questioned. “I think it’s exactly how it come across on camera. You didn’t want his hand there, so moved it? Not a big deal.”
Another was annoyed by the downplaying of the situation. “Not even funny to be honest in this day and age with everything that is going on so can’t see the funny side of this when people were genuinely concerned.”
“Then why did your face say otherwise?!” a third fan agreed.
In a brief video on Saturday night, both Katya and Wynne apologised for any misunderstanding caused by their on-show antics, describing it as harmless fun.
However, this explanation only addressed the high-five incident, which left many fans unsatisfied.
“Sorry guys how is that a joke?…the hand slowly moving across Katya’s stomach, and her moving it away and looking seriously uncomfortable??” one fan commented.
Another echoed: “We were more worried about the hand on the stomach that Katya moved because she was uncomfortable rather than the high five.”
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