Strictly's Katya Jones gives fiery response to partner Wynne Evans over 'sore subject'

Strictly Come Dancing professional Katya Jones has shared her fiery response to celebrity partner Wynne Evans after he teased her over her Celebrity MasterChef appearance

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Wynne Evans has revealed Katya Jones's spirited comeback to his recurrent jokes about Celebrity MasterChef.

Wynne, 52, clinched victory on the BBC culinary competition last year, and said he enjoys teasing his Strictly dance partner Katya, 35, as she did not progress beyond the heats in 2022.

The joy of discussing Celebrity MasterChef in rehearsals is something Wynne revels in, acknowledging it has turned into a "sore subject" for Katya since their pairing on Strictly.

When asked if he was aiming for another triumph, Wynne revealed: "Well, that's a bit of a sore subject. Some people - Katya - didn't so brilliantly on MasterChef, so I try not to talk about it."

He boasts about limiting his references to his win, saying: "I only mention it - I now restrict myself to doing it 10 times a day, saying that I actually won MasterChef," reports Wales Online.

Sharing Katya's sharp retort in a chat with Heat Magazine, he said: "And, every time, she says, 'Yes, but I've won the Glitterball'. So, we've got one trophy each."

Apart from cooking, Wynne has also been leaving a mark with his performances on the dance show, impressing the Strictly judges with his flair.

Over the previous weekend, Wynne and Katya received a commendable 34 points for their Tango, putting them in joint second place on the leaderboard.

Despite the dazzling dances, it is their playful rapport offstage that's captured the attention of fans online.

An "inside joke" portrayed through social media shows a moment when Katya nudged Wynne's hand away from her waist with a smile, and apparently ignored his high-five attemptscenes Strictly followers certainly picked up on.

After facing a backlash and claims that the dancer appeared to be uncomfortable, the duo addressed their fans, explaining that their actions were in jest.

On Strictly: It Takes Two, Katya clarified the incident, saying: "I have to make this absolutely clear, that this whole incident with the hand and the high five on Saturday night, it was an inside joke between Wynne and I. Was it a silly joke, yes, was it a bad joke, yes."

She further dismissed any suggestions of discomfort or offense, stating: "Even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is total nonsense."

Wynne spoke about the controversy on his BBC Radio Wales show, expressing distress at the media response: "I'm absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day."

He reaffirmed his friendship with Katya: "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."

Wynne acknowledged the misstep: "It was a stupid joke that went wrong, OK? We thought it was funny. It wasn't funny. It has been totally misinterpreted."

A Strictly source told the BBC that the welfare team had looked into the matter, confirming that "checked in on the pair and there are no further actions planned".