Every word Strictly Come Dancing's Wynne Evans and Katya Jones said after joke row

Wynne Evans and Katya Jones were hit by 'awkward' claims after they were seen having two separate incidents following their Tango to ABBA's Money, Money, Money on Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing fans were left buzzing with speculation after Wynne Evans and Katya Jones' performance on Saturday led to two incidents that have been downplayed by the pair as just a "joke".

Following their electrifying Tango routine set to ABBA's classic 'Money, Money, Money', which earned them 34 points their highest score yet from the judges viewers noticed a couple of awkward on-screen moments involving the Welsh opera star, aged 52, and his 35 year old professional dancing partner.

Initially, Katya was seen guiding Wynnes hand away from the centre of her waist while the shows host, Claudia Winkleman, presented from the side stage area known as the Clauditorium. The clip quickly gained traction online.

Subsequently, the BBC Radio Wales hosts attempt to land a high five with Katya fell flat as she seemingly ignored it, turning towards the camera with what appeared to be an exasperated expression.

As these peculiar interactions sparked chatter among viewers, Wynne and Katya aimed to quell any brewing controversy. Let's delve into the unfolding events post the eye-catching scenes, reports Wales Online.

In a joint response to the growing buzz, Evans and Jones issued an apology via Instagram shortly after their live performance, addressing any worries stirred by the incidents while still dressed in their Tango attire.

Katya started off with a message: "Hello everybody, it's Wynne and Katya here. We just wanted to say we were just messing around in the Clauditorium on Saturday night and just want to say sorry. It was a silly joke."

Wynne echoed her sentiments, adding: "Yes, sorry". He went on to note in his post caption: "Apologies for this tonight we were just messing around. We really are amazing friends. The high 5's is a running joke. Have a great evening @katyajones."

Despite issuing an apology video, discussions were still rife online as the duo had not directly addressed the instance where Katya seemed to move Wynne's hand from her waist.

In an effort to quash rumours that she felt "uncomfortable" with her dance partner, Katya took to Instagram with another video on Sunday to set the record straight.

"Happy Sunday everyone," opened the Russian pro dancer in the footage. "Now, I need to make something crystal clear. The hand incident that happened on Saturday night was an inside - a very silly, very silly - inside joke between Wynne and I."

She further elucidated on the purported incident from Saturday night, ridiculing the notion that she had been uncomfortable or taken offence as "complete nonsense" and "So even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended me in any way is complete nonsense. It's quite absurd actually. Now, can we just focus on how brilliantly he's doing and what an amazing dancer he's becoming? " Katya urged fans to shift their attention to Wynne's impressive progress: "So even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended me in any way is complete nonsense. It's quite absurd actually. Now, can we just focus on how brilliantly he's doing and what an amazing dancer he's becoming? ".

Lastly, Katya addressed concerns pointed specifically towards Wynne, reassuring her audience that the idea that he did anything to upset or offend her was "complete nonsense" and "quite absurd".

Katya Jones has expressed her enthusiasm for her next routine with Wynne Evans, steering clear of any scandal talk in a recent Instagram post following the Sunday night results of Strictly. She penned an effusive note thanking everyone for their support and shared her excitement for the upcoming performance: "Another week of dancing ! ! ! thank you! Thank you so much for your kind support everyone! We are so excited for the next dance."

She went on to compliment her dance partner, writing: "Every day Wynne makes me smile and laugh, but every Saturday he leaves me absolutely speechless when he takes the dance to another level ! It is soo impressive and I can't wait to create another number for you to perform! Week 5! ! ! Whoop whoop! ! ".

Behind the scenes, after issues in this year's Strictly season involving Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice, as well as Zara McDermott's previous dance partner Graziano Di Prima, the BBC has stepped up its support for participants. Enhanced duty of care measures include chaperones during rehearsals and assigning two welfare producers to the showone focusing on celebrities and the other on the professional dancers.

In the wake of concerns surrounding Wynne and Katya, the BBC's welfare team has conducted checks and has stated no further action is envisaged.

Meanwhile, Wynne Evans has been open about his distress following the critiques he has faced.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales on Monday, Wynne emotionally shared with listeners: "I'm absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day."

The face of the Go Compare adverts then took a moment to clarify that his relationship with Katya is without issues, calling her a "really good friend".

He explained on-air: "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, OK? We thought it was funny. It wasn't funny. It has been totally misinterpreted."

Wynne further stated: "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."