Strictly's Wynne Evans puts on a brave face as he heads to the studio

Strictly's Wynne Evans put on a brave face as he left his London hotel and head to the studio ahead of Saturday's live show, after becoming the bookies' favourite to leave the competition next. 

The opera singer, 52, - who was once a frontrunner for the Glitterball Trophy alongside his dance partner Katya Jones, 35, - is just 5/1 to be sent packing from the competition this week having been 25/1 in the same market last week. 

The duo have spent the week defending their awkward exchange during Saturday night's live show.

Viewers spotted the toe-curling moment Katya moved Wynne's hand away from her waist and snubbed his attempt at a high-five with her.

But he's not letting the disheartening results prediction get him down and was seen with a huge grin on his face as he made his way to Elstree solo.

Wynne showcased his usual quirky style as he put on a very colourful display in a funky purple shirt featuring a butterfly design. 

He teamed the vibrant look with blue jeans and white trainers, throwing on a navy jacket for the journey. 

Other cast members also looked in high spirits as they left the hotel, with Dr Punam Krishan all smiles as she stepped out in a stylish brown tracksuit.

The TV GP showcased her natural beauty by ditching the makeup and going bare-faced for the outing.

She was joined by her pro partner Gorka Marquez, who cut an effortlessly fashionable figure in a tartan jacket and black jogging bottoms. 

Chris McCausland and Diane Buswell left the hotel together as they made their way to Elstree with their suitcases.

Aljaž Škorjanec gave a thumbs up, pleased with the amazing result of last Saturday's live show that saw his celebrity partner Tasha Ghouri score the first tens of the series.

The Love Islander looked cosy as she left the hotel in a stripey loungewear set and a beige trench coat. 

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They were joined by Montell Douglas, who radiated confidence as she headed out with her Team GB suitcase.

Fellow sports legend Sam Quek went for an all-black look as she opted for comfort and enjoyed a hot drink before arriving at the studio.

Elsewhere, Shayne Ward was engrossed in his phone as he made his way to the live show, brushing off being in the bottom two last week.

His pro partner Nancy Xu looked elated as she stepped out in knee-high boots and a very autumnal outfit.

Jamie Borthwick also rushed to Elstree in sportswear, wheeling along a suitcase.

Hamza Yassin, who won the show in 2022 with Jowita Przystal, also made a surprise appearance as he joined this year's stars to head to the studio. 

Speaking of Saturday's odds, Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: 'Wynne's chances have taken a huge hit over the last few days, and punters are convinced he'll be in a dangerous position in the leaderboard this weekend... a stark contrast with where he was this time last week.'

Wynne and Katya have been hard at work this week, in between defending the interaction, but they looked far from their usual bubbly selves on Tuesday as they stepped out together.

Showing the strain on their faces, neither Katya or Wynne raised a smile as they walked to their training studio in Wales.

The appearance came hours after the pair made an emotional appearance on Strictly spin off show It Takes Two.

Katya has defended her celebrity partner, declaring he has been 'portrayed as someone he is not', as the pair insist his 'wandering hand' incident was a silly joke.

On Monday evening's TV appearance, Wynne admitted he had watched the footage of the incident back and confessed: 'I can see how people may have misinterpreted it.'

Clinging to his arm, Katya said she 'can't bear' the flack her co-star is getting and was empathetic that there was no wrongdoing.

She said: 'The idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is total nonsense, and those that have doubts, you guys have got it wrong. So hopefully this will be the end of it, and you just keep making me smile.'

She added: 'I can't sit here watching this man being portrayed as someone he's not. 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 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.'  

The incident caused such concern among BBC top brass, who have spent months firefighting accusations of misconduct on previous series, that a welfare investigation was conducted.

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A source said: 'The Strictly welfare team checked in on the pair individually to confirm that nothing was awry and that both were comfortable continuing with the partnership.

'Training room researchers have kept meticulous logs of what goes on during rehearsals between every celebrity couple, and Wynne and Katya are no different.'

'If there had been any form of misbehavior or cause for concern, then it would have been flagged by the welfare team.

'There hasn't been and they consider the matter closed.'

The BBC confirmed that no further actions are planned.

Wynne, who has starred in the GoCompare adverts for over a decade, claims that he has been left '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'm absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day.

He said: 'I'm absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day.

The duo had become surprise favourites to win this year's Strictly, scoring 34 out of 40 from the judges for their tango on Saturday.

'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.

'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 yeah, that's all there is, there is no real story, really.

'And I feel weird apologising because I feel like I've not really done anything.'