Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Jacob Stolworthy

Rebecca Humphries reflects on ‘surreal’ Strictly scandal that led to public break-up from Seann Walsh

Getty Images

Rebecca Humphries has reflected on the 2018 Strictly Come Dancing scandal that saw her then-boyfriend Seann Walsh cheat on her with Katya Jones.

Humphries was dating comedian Walsh who, while appearing on the show as a contestant, was caught kissing his professional dance partner Jones on a night out in London.

At the time, both Walsh and Jones issued an apology, and maintained that it was a “drunken” mistake.

In a tweet addressing the situation at the time, Humphries, who stars in Prime Video series Ten Percent, said Walsh had called her a “psycho” when she had suggested something untoward was going on.

Speaking about the controversy on Friday’s episode of Lorraine (8 July), Humphries said: “It’s surreal being in that situation. It’s horrible seeing stories about yourself and about your life.”

She added: “It’s completely overwhelming. I’ve been obsessed with telly and magazines since I was about 12, and suddenly there I am in them all.”

Humphries said that “it felt like a bizarre stress dream I was having, but the one thing I will say about that time is that all of that support was just like one validation after another.

“You are not crazy, you are not the things you’ve let yourself believe for years that you are… In fact, in that particular situation, you were right, and all of that just flooded me.”

Rebecca Humphries stars in Prime Video series ‘Ten Percent’ (Getty Images)

She also said the experience is “sort of etched in my memory” as it occurred on her birthday.

Humphries is releasing a book about the effects of toxic relationships, titled Why Did You Stay?: A Memoir About Self-worth.

In May 2021, Walsh spoke about the controversy, revealing that, from the moment the kiss became public knowledge, his life “changed forever” and that it left him having panic attacks.

He says his actions “destroyed” his career and “what life could have been”.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.