Strictly Come Dancing's Wynne Evans and Katya Jones' joke row explained before statement

Strictly Come Dancing star Wynne Evans and Katya Jones got BBC viewers talking last weekend, but it wasn't about their performance in the famous Ballroom

Wynne Evans and Katya Jones caused a stir amongst eagle-eyed Strictly Come Dancing fans on Saturday night due to two on-screen incidents, which have since been played down as a "joke" by the stars.

Following their Tango to ABBA's Money, Money, Money, which provided the dancing duo with their top score from the judges so far, 34 points, viewers spotted what they believed to be awkward interactions between the Welsh opera singer, 52, and his professional dance partner, 35.

Firstly, Katya could be seen moving Wynne's hand away from the middle of her waist while Claudia Winkleman hosted the show from the Clauditorium, which quickly went viral on social media.

Then, the BBC Radio Wales presenter's attempt to high five his dance partner was rejected, with Katya leaving him hanging before turning to face the camera with a seemingly frustrated facial expression.

After the odd moments became widely-discussed amongst fans, Katya and Wynne have attempted to diffuse the situation. Here, we will take a look at everything that has happened since the scandal erupted.

Wynne Evans and Katya Jones' joint apology statement

The Strictly stars took to Instagram shortly after competing in the live show on Saturday night to set the record straight. In a video, the pair, who were still in their costumes from the Tango, apologised for any concern caused.

Katya began by saying: "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 agreed: "Yes, sorry". He also added in the caption of the post: "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."

Katya Jones speaks out to defend Wynne Evans after backlash

Despite the apology video, speculation continued on social media, as the couple hadn't directly addressed the moment where Katya moved Wynne's hand away from her waist.

In a bid to shut down rumours she was feeling "uncomfortable" in her partnership, Katya spoke out in a separate Instagram video on Sunday.

"Happy Sunday everyone," the Russian pro dancer began in the clip. "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.

"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?"

She also addressed the backlash against Wynne specifically, telling her followers that the idea he had made her uncomfortable or offended was "complete nonsense" and "quite absurd".

Katya Jones shares excitement for next dance with Wynne Evans

In a post following the Sunday night results show, Katya shared some of her Strictly highlights from the past week and praised Wynne for his "impressive" dance skills.

Avoiding any mention of the scandal, the dancer wrote in the caption: "Another week of dancing !!! thank you! Thank you so much for your kind support everyone! We are so excited for the next dance.

"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!!"

BBC's welfare team check on the couple after the incident

Following scandals on the 2023 series of Strictly involving Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice, and Zara McDermott's former dance partner Graziano Di Prima, BBC bosses have made major changes to its duty of care policies, including chaperones being present in the rehearsal rooms.

The new policies have also seen two dedicated welfare producers being assigned to the BBC show - a celebrity welfare producer and a professional dancer welfare producer - as part of the Strictly team.

A welfare check has now been completed in the wake of the furore around Wynne and Katya, and the BBC have confirmed there are no plans for any further action to be taken.

Wynne Evans shares his heartbreak after facing criticism

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

The Go Compare advert star then took the time to insist there are no issues in his relationship with Katya, describing her as a "really good friend".

He said 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 was been totally misinterpreted."

Wynne added: "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."