Strictly's Katya Jones reaches out to Wynne Evans after awkward Saturday night show

Strictly Come Dancing's Wynne Evans and Katya Jones were forced to apologise to fans on Saturday after viewers clocked a cringeworthy moment between the pair on the live show

Strictly Come Dancing's Katya Jones has reached out to Wynne Evans in the wake of the backlash surrounding the Welsh warbler.

Fans were shocked on Saturday night when Katya, 35, refused to high five the GoCompare man, 52, before notably moving his wandering hand from around her waist.

Following the furore, Katya and Wynne apologised to fans, saying the awkward scenes were the result of an "inside joke" between them. However, viewers weren't buying it, with some accusing Wynne of acting in a "ungentlemanly fashion".

Wynne, famed for belting out "Go compare!" on those ubiquitous adverts, thanked fans after apologising, posting on Instagram: "Diolch and thank you for your support. It's not every day you get to dance to ABBA in the @bbcstrictly ballroom. We can't wait to get back out there again!" Responding to his post, Katya gushed: "You are so incredible! Very, very excited for our next dance".

However, just hours earlier, fans of the long-running BBC dance competition were stunned when they saw the dad-of-two seemingly caress Katya's stomach on the show. The attention-grabbing moment occurred while the cast of the 2024 season were gathered together in the green room with Claudia Winkleman.

Viewers watched as Wynne stood behind Katya with his hand on her waist. As he slowly moved his hand around the side of the professional dancer's body, she noticeably moved it away.

Fans were aghast, but Katya hit out against the backlash aimed at Wynne - with the Russian dancer claiming it was all a joke. She said: "I need to make something crystal clear. The hand incident that happened on Saturday night was a very silly inside joke between Wynne and I. So even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is complete nonsense. It’s actually absurd."

After the clip from the 'Clauditorium' was shared widely on social media, Katya and Wynne posted a video apologising, telling fans it was a "joke". Addressing concerned fans in a video, Katya began: "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 added: "Yes sorry."

In the caption, Wynne added: "Apologies for this tonight we were just messing around. We really are amazing friends. The high fives are a running joke. Have a great evening @katyajones." But fans were less interested in the high fives and commented about opera singer Wynne's wandering hand, although there is no suggestion on the show that he behaved inappropriately.

A Strictly source told the PA News agency: “Wynne and Katya have confirmed that their interactions in the Clauditorium were silly jokes they had planned together and have apologised to anyone who may have misinterpreted them. They addressed them on Wynne’s Instagram, where their apology can be found. Katya would like to clarify further that she was not offended by Wynne and was not made to feel uncomfortable in the least. The welfare team have checked in on the pair and there are no further actions planned."

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