Wynne Evans has said his Strictly Come Dancing partner Katya Jones has taught him to be “more self-resilient” and not seek “validation from elsewhere”.
The pair, who previously apologised for a “joke” that saw Jones move opera singer Evans’ hand from her waist during the show earlier this month, have made it through to week seven of the BBC competition.
For the upcoming ‘icons week’, they are going to perform a rumba to This Is My Life by Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey.
Appearing on Strictly spin-off, It Takes Two, on Thursday, he said: “I think every rumba is so different, and there’s a different story to each one.
“It can be about love, it can be about jealousy. It’s always about love, but there’s so many different types of love.
“And this one is about love and starting to love yourself, which is something that I’m only just discovering, and something I’m learning so much from Katya on.
“Even though she’s 20 years younger than me, she’s teaching me how to be more self-resilient and how not to look for validation from elsewhere, to find that love from within.”
The 52-year-old, who has previously met fellow Welsh singer Dame Shirley, revealed her song inspires him.
“She’s super glamorous, but super honest, and she’s had a really tough life of ups and downs”, he said.
“And I’ve talked about my mental health loads of times, that I’ve struggled with that, and I find this song really, really empowering.
“It’s all about finding that self-resilience that you need in life, that you don’t listen to the people that are shouting around you, that you find that strength from within. And I find it quite emotional, actually.”
Earlier this month, Evans faced scrutiny after a clip of Jones, 35, moving his hand from her waist during the Strictly Come Dancing live show was widely shared on social media.
The pair later addressed the incident, with Jones rigorously dismissing suggestions she was made to feel “uncomfortable or offended”, describing claims as “total nonsense” in an It Takes Two interview.
She said she could not bear seeing him “portrayed as someone he is not” and said the whole thing was an “inside joke” between them.
The dancer added: “Was it a silly joke? Yes. Was it a bad joke? Yes.”
Last week, Evans and Jones impressed the Strictly judges with a series of dramatic lifts and flips during their Halloween week performance.
The pair landed a score of 31 for their salsa to Canned Heat by Jamiroquai which saw them dress up in red sparkly costumes and devil horns.
Recalling their ambitious routine, Russian dancer Jones joked: “Throwing yourself at someone who’s never danced before, not done any lifts at all, and laying there across his shoulders without any support? No, I wasn’t nervous at all.”
On a serious note, she also praised her partner for not limiting himself when they are learning the routines.
“In terms of cardio or physicality or how difficult it is, you don’t ever put any limitation”, she said.
“Yeah, we’re going to do it. I’ll do it. We’re going to get there. We just kept trying and trying.”
Evans is best known as the moustachioed tenor from the Go Compare adverts and is a presenter on BBC Radio Wales.
Born in Carmarthen, he was also crowned Celebrity MasterChef champion for 2023.
