Katya Jones has reacted to Wynne Evans’s departure from the Strictly Come Dancing tour over a crass remark about professional dancer Janette Manrara.
The Welsh opera singer faced a backlash after being caught making a sexual remark about Janette Manrara and EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick during the tour’s press launch.
Days later, Evans, who was partnered with Jones on the 2024 series of Strictly, said he was “deeply sorry” and that he would “take some time out” from his radio show and the Strictly tour after reports mounted he would be sacked by the BBC.
Months after Jones was embroiled in a Strictly controversy with her celebrity partner Evans, the professional dancer let her feelings on the matter be known in a pair of Instagram posts.
Sharing Evans’s statement, in which he said he “plans to take time for self-reflection”, Jones told her followers: “Let’s show humanity and consideration.”
She then added: “I will miss you my darling boy,” and, in a follow-up post, Jones posted a video of Evans at the previous night’s show, writing: “Really missed this tonight”. She added a sad-face emoji.
As part of his statement, Evans addressed his Strictly co-stars, adding: “Apologies to those I won’t get to see at the remaining performances and I’m grateful to my fellow tour gang for all the amazing support they have given me.”
After the furore first surfaced, Evans, who rose to fame as the opera star of the GoCompare adverts, said: “My language was inappropriate and unacceptable for which I sincerely apologise.”
Manrara’s representative said she did not hear the comment. Meanwhile, A spokesperson for the Strictly live tour and BBC Studios: “We were not previously aware of the remark and did not receive any complaints.
“We have made it very clear to Wynne that we do not tolerate such behaviour on the tour.”
The Independent has contacted the BBC and Evans’ representatives for comment.
This new backlash arrives after Evans caused controversy with a hand fiasco “joke” that saw him put his hand on Jones’s stomach in the background of an episode of Strictly. Viewers noticed Jones awkwardly removed his hand and placed it on her hip instead.
Later, a separate clip was shared by viewers who noticed that Jones refused to give Evans a high five while standing behind the show’s co-host Claudia Winkleman. Jones turned her back on Evans and seemingly rolled her eyes at the opera singer.
At the time, Jones came to Evans’s defence, saying that the moment was a “silly inside joke” and that the reaction to it was “absurd”.
She said: “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 me in any way is complete nonsense.”
After becoming the eighth contestant to be eliminated from the 2024 series, Evans said that he was shocked by the “lies” reported about him during his time on the programme.
“I’m still astounded that people are allowed to write any, for want of a better word, lies that they want,” he said on his BBC Radio Wales Breakfast Show. “I’m disappointed that I’ve seen that side of life.”
He continued: “The Strictly family are perfect in every way. The press are a different kettle of fish.”
