IT’S the shocking moment dividing Strictly viewers — some reckon Wynne Evans groped Katya Jones on Saturday’s show, while others buy their explanation it was a mutual joke that backfired.
Either way, The Sun can reveal the dance duo have been rapped over the knuckles by BBC bosses for the incident that was broadcast live and has become a viral sensation.
Show veteran Katya, 35, was seen removing the hand of dance partner Wynne, 52, as it slid further round her stomach in the section of Strictly where co-host Claudia Winkleman talks about what’s coming up next.
That came minutes after he was seen holding his arms up for a double high five from Katya, only for her to reject him, looking disgusted.
Last night, on BBC Two Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two, Katya insisted that the controversy had overshadowed their performance “for absolutely no reason”.
She added: “Quite frankly I actually can’t bear sitting 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 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.
“However, it was a joke and even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is totally nonsense.
“Those that have doubts, you guys have got it wrong.
“So hopefully this will be the end of it.”
Wynne added: “I’ve watched it back and I can see how people might have misinterpreted it.”
The controversy is the last thing the beleaguered corporation wanted after a summer of scandal which saw pros Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima leave the show amid allegations of bad behaviour.
Earlier yesterday, a TV insider said: “Strictly wanted to draw a line under one of the most troubling periods in the programme’s history, which had viewers deeply suspicious about what went on behind the scenes of the show.
“Allegations of inappropriate physical and sexual behaviour seemed to take some of the shine off the dance contest and bosses were looking forward to restoring the glitz and fun.
“Now there’s this bizarre incident which seems to suggest some tension between Wynne and Katya, not to mention inappropriate touching.
“The rap over the knuckles from Strictly was informal and there aren’t any plans to take any further action against them.
“But ultimately, amid all the controversy, viewers are left not knowing quite what to think.”
Behind the scenes, Beeb bosses are said to be furious about the incident, but seem to believe Katya and Wynne’s explanation that it was a gag both were complicit in.
On Sunday Katya and Wynne made a joint online video in which they apologised for what happened.
During it, Katya said: “We were just messing around in the Clauditorium and just want to say sorry.”
Best known for playing opera singer Gio Compario on the Go Compare TV adverts, Wynne did a radio interview at the weekend as the hashtag “GropeCompare” started to go viral.
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Wynne Evans and Katya Jones
He said: “I’m absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day.
“Katya and I are really, really close and really good friends.
“It was a stupid joke that went wrong, OK?
“We thought it was funny. It wasn’t funny.
“I’m sorry if anybody was offended by it, but it was a joke.
“I feel weird apologising because I feel like I’ve not done anything.”
But some Strictly fans pointed out the fact Wynne’s girlfriend Liz Brookes, 50, also had to watch the incident as she sat in the show’s audience on Saturday.
Singer Wynne and events organiser Liz, from Cardiff, only started dating earlier this year.
One user of X, formerly Twitter, said: “Let’s see what your Mrs Liz thinks about the grope?”
Another responded to his claims it was just a joke, saying on X: “What about this is funny?
“In light of all the recent issues you thought you’d grope her on camera to be funny?”
Someone added: “So the two of you decided to make a joke about harassment on a show with a history of harassment?”
Another woman said: “It clearly bothered her the way she pushed his hand away. And that is enough.
“The way to stop this is to call it out and chuck him off the show.”
Others defended them.
One X user said: “If you both say it’s a joke, then it’s a joke. Not sure why some people have a problem with that.”
Another X user said: “Why are you apologising for a private joke? The snowflakes out there need to get a grip on reality.”
Someone close to Wynne told The Sun: “My experience of Wynne is that he’s harmless, if a bit ‘of his time’ like any bloke in his fifties.
“But most of us are sure his apology is entirely heartfelt and he will be devastated by how this has played out.”
Others point out that if it really was an ill-judged gag gone wrong, then Katya should face as much scrutiny as Wynne, if not more.
In October 2018, she was pictured kissing her pro partner Seann Walsh in the street, despite the fact she was married to pro dancer Neil Jones at the time, and the stand-up comic had a girlfriend.
Then in October 2021 she found herself on thin ice again as she came close to kissing her celeb partner, swimmer Adam Peaty, at the end of a dance — despite the fact he had a partner.
Now Katya — who joined the show in 2016 — and her latest Strictly partner find themselves back in the spotlight.
A Strictly source said: “If it was a joke, then Katya really should know better.
“She has been on Strictly long enough to know how scandals can affect the show and, let’s face it, she been at the centre of them too.
“The feeling is that she is one of the few people who is often at the heart of a storm and has the resilience to ride this out.
“At the end of the day, Katya is a seasoned pro when it comes to dancing and being a celebrity in her own right.
“There have even been whispers backstage that she won’t mind grabbing headlines off newer dancers like Jowita Przystal, who has been the talk of the series due to her romance with Pete Wicks.”
Meanwhile, the BBC, which has declined to comment on the record, has had its welfare team and production staff check in on Wynne and Katya and does not intend to take any further action.
But it remains to be seen whether the duo, who will be doing the quickstep on next week’s show, will see the viewers’ support wane after their upcoming dance — or if the controversy might even give them a boost.
