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Katya Jones has made an admission about her interactions with Wynne Evans on Strictly Come Dancing.
The latest episode of the BBC competition aired on Saturday (12 October), with the results show, which sent home the third celebrity, airing the following night.
Opera singer Evans received his highest scores of the series so far, but this was outshadowed by a furore caused by videos showing his background interactions with Jones.
After the Saturday episode, a video showing Evans awkwardly placing his hand on his professional partner’s stomach, in which Jones removed it and placed it on her hip instead, went viral on social media.
Later, a separate clip was shared from 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.
Many fans predicted something was “off” between the pair, with some adding they felt tension – but Jones and Evans, realising there was a social media furore brewing, shut down any suggestion of a feud with a video shared online.
However, despite Jones calling the fiasco “nonsense” and “absurd”, Evans still found himself receiving criticism, leading the pro to defend the star on companion show It Takes Two on Monday (16 October).
Jones said that she “can’t bear” seeing Evans in distress over the situation, calling the interactions nothing more than an “inside joke”. However, Jones admitted the joke was “silly” and “bad”.
After Evans said he can see why viewers “may have misinterpreted” his hand placement, his professional partner continued: “The idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is total nonsense, and those that have doubts, you guys have got it wrong. So hopefully this will be the end of it, and you just keep making me smile.
“I can’t sit 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 this absolutely clear that this whole incident, with the hand and the high five on Saturday night, was an inside joke between Wynne and I.
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She then stated: “Was it a silly joke? Yes, was it a bad joke? Yes.”
Jones previously told her fans: “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.
“It’s quite absurd, actually. Can we focus on how brilliantly he’s doing and what an amazing dancer he’s become?’”
