Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left cringing at Wynne Evans and Katya Jones’ ‘awkward’ return to the dance floor on Saturday – after the opera singer seemingly deleted his X account amid the backlash over last week’s ‘hand incident’.
They performed a quick move while trying to shake off the toe-curling viral moment when Katya, 35, moved Wynne’s hand from her waist and cut off his attempt at a high-five with her..
The dancer has defended her celebrity partner, 52, stating he has been ‘portrayed as someone he is not’ as the pair insist his ‘wandering hand’ incident was a lame joke.
But fans were left with a sour taste in their mouths from the couple’s VT before they hit the floor and overly called it “wholesome” and “fun” in an attempt to put the rumors of their feud to bed.
The clip saw the pair beaming as they climbed a mountain in Wales before Wynne piggybacked Katya.
Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left cringing as Wynne Evans and Katya Jones ‘awkwardly’ returned to the dance floor on Saturday
They performed a quick move while trying to shake off the toe-curling viral moment when Katya, 35, moved Wynne’s hand from her waist last week (pictured)
Wynne has apparently deleted his X account amid the backlash
Writing: ‘My vote for #StrictlyComeDancing LOOK! WE ARE COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE WITH EACH OTHER goes to Wynne and Katya’s pre-dance story: ‘Healthy, non-controversial VT is coming’: ‘Make the VT look like you hate each other’.
Despite the pair, who were once front runners for the Glitterball Trophy, becoming the bookmakers’ favorites to be next out of the competition, they scored a respectable 33 out of 40 for their Quickstep.
Before Saturday’s show Ladbrokes’ Alex Apati said: ‘Wynne’s chances have taken a huge hit in recent days, with punters convinced he will be in a dangerous position on the leaderboard this weekend… a stark contrast to where he was this time last year . week.’
Speaking on the spin-off show It Takes Two on Monday, Wynne admitted that he had rewatched the footage of the incident and admitted, “I understand how people misinterpreted it.”
While clinging to his arm, Katya said she “can’t stand” the criticism her co-star is receiving and was empathetic that there was no wrongdoing.
She said: ‘The idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is complete nonsense, and for those who doubt, you are wrong. Hopefully this is the end of it and you’ll continue to make me laugh.’
She added: “I can’t sit here and watch this man being portrayed as someone he’s not. In fact, it couldn’t be further from the truth.
“So I have to make it very clear that this whole incident, with the hand and the high five on Saturday night, was an inside joke between Wynne and me. Was it a lame joke? Yeah, was it a bad joke? Yes.’
But fans were left with a sour taste in their mouths from the couple’s VT before they hit the floor and overly called it “wholesome” and “fun” in an attempt to put the rumors of their feud to bed.
But fans were left with a sour taste in their mouths from the couple’s VT before they hit the floor and overly called it “wholesome” and “fun” in an attempt to put the rumors of their feud to bed.
Despite the pair, who were once front runners for the Glitterball Trophy, becoming the bookmakers’ favorites to be next out of the competition, they scored a respectable 33 out of 40 for their Quickstep.
Writing: ‘My vote for #StrictlyComeDancing LOOK! WE ARE COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE WITH EACH OTHER goes to Wynne and Katya’s pre-dance story
The incident caused such concern among BBC top brass, who had spent months battling firefighting allegations of misconduct in previous series, that a welfare investigation was carried out.
A source said: ‘The Strictly welfare team checked on the couple individually to confirm there was nothing wrong and that both were happy to continue working together.
“Training room researchers have been meticulously tracking what happens during rehearsals between each celebrity couple, and Wynne and Katya are no different.”
‘If there had been any misconduct or cause for concern it would have been noted by the welfare team.
“That did not happen and they consider the matter closed.”
The BBC confirmed that no further action is planned.
Wynne, who has starred in the GoCompare adverts for more than a decade, claims he is ‘heartbroken’ by the fallout after some Strictly fans called for him to be axed from the show.
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales, where he presents a daily show, Mr Evans said: ‘I am absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day.
He said: “I am absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day.