Strictly Come Dancing professional Katya Jones has leapt to the defence of celebrity partner Wynne Jones – describing her outrage at seeing him ‘portrayed as someone he’s not.’
This comes as the Welsh actor and opera singer, 52, became the centre of a PR storm this weekend, after his partner appeared to forcibly remove his hand from her waist, and then reject his offer of a high five.
Appearing on Strictly spin-off It Takes Two, Katya came to Wynne’s defence, describing the viral ‘hand incident’ as nothing more than a ‘very silly joke.’
She addressed the rumours directly, saying: ‘I have to address something that I feel like overshadowed our performance for absolutely no reason, and, quite frankly, I can’t bear sitting here watching this man being portrayed as someone he’s not.
‘And, in fact, it couldn’t be further away from the truth so I have to make this absolutely clear that this whole incident with the hand and the hand and the high-five on Saturday night was an inside joke between Wynne and I. Was it a silly joke? Yes. Was it a bad joke? Yes.
‘However, it was a joke and even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is total nonsense. Those that have doubts, you guys have got it wrong.
‘So, hopefully, this will be the end of it, and you [Wynne], just keep making me smile, please! Because my Sunday was pretty boring without you making me belly laugh all day long!’
Wynne added: ‘I’ve watched it back and I can see how people may have misinterpreted it.’
He also took to BBC Radio Wales to describe his dismay at the situation vowing: ‘I’m absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day.’
He also re-iterated the line that the incident was a ‘bad joke’ between the pair of them – with Katya also describing accusations of wrongdoing as ‘total nonsense.’
However, the damage may have already been done as bookies now predict that Wynne is in danger of elimination this weekend.
Weighing in with their odds for this weekend’s show, bookmakers Betfred revealed how Wynne’s prospects of elimination had shot up – putting him just behind former footballer and pundit Paul Merson, 56.
A spokesperson said: ‘While it’s not surprising that Paul Merson remains the favourite to be eliminated this weekend, priced at 5/4 to go, odds for Wynne Evans to find himself in the dance-off are at a staggering 1/8 (88% implied probability).
‘Odds of him actually being eliminated at 7/2, leaving him just trailing behind Dr Punam who is priced at 3/1.’
They continued: ‘Despite being strong performers, since Tom Dean’s shock exit in the first dance-off, Betfred has continued to see more bets placed on the elimination market for middleground contenders like Sam Quek, Montell Douglas, and Shayne Ward.
‘Punters believe that this year’s series is as much about a couple’s broader appeal as it is about their talent and scores, especially for those who may lack a strong and vocal fanbase.’
And, given the furore surrounding Wynne’s recent perceived behaviour, this could put the insurance mascot in deep trouble.
This follows the pair’s announcement on Saturday, in which the pair took to social media to reassure viewers that all was well between Katya and Wynne.
Sharing a video to Instagram, they put on a united front – still dressed in their costumes and smiling faces from the show.
‘We just wanted to say we were just messing around in the Claudatorium on Saturday night and wanted to say sorry, it was a silly joke,’ Katya explained.
Wynne chimed in: ‘Yes, sorry!’
As the short clip ended, Katya grimaced and Wynne visibly cringed.
In a separate statement of her own, Katya posted to her Instagram stories, setting the record straight.
‘Happy Sunday, everyone. Now, I need to make something crystal clear,’ she said.
‘The hand incident that happened on Saturday night was an inside, very silly 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.’
She finished: ‘Now, can we just focus on how brilliantly he’s doing and what an amazing dancer he’s becoming?’
Speculation continued well into Sunday night’s elimination show, with viewers keeping a keen eye on Wynne and Katya as the results were announced.
As the episode aired, Wynne was on his best behaviour, stood next to Katya with his hands behind his back throughout.
This led many to speculate that the pair had been given a talking to prior to the show – while others read much into Katya’s apparently stony-faced expressions.
Sunday night’s episode ultimately saw TV handyman Nick Knowles eliminated following a dance-off against Shayne Ward.
Amid the chaos , Wynne placed second on the judges’ scoreboard, just behind Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec.
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