Strictly’s Wynne Evans set ‘to leave show’ after ‘wandering hands’ scandal with Katya Jones

Strictly Come Dancing has been rocked by yet another scandal, just after the BBC show had hoped to put any controversy to bed following its internal investigation into abusive behaviour allegations

Wynne Evans is set to leave Strictly this weekend after the ongoing debate around his awkward interactions with pro dance partner Katya Jones, bookies claim.

The opera singer, 52, and his partner Katya found themselves at the centre of a scandal, when some fans accused Wynne of making the 35-year-old Russian-British dancer feel uncomfortable.

During Satruday night’s live episiode of the BBC dance competition, Wynne could be seen putting his hand on Katya’s waist, with her then appearing to bat it away.

After it was shared widely on social media, it caused drama amongst viewers, with the pair forced to explain that it was an “inside joke”.

Strictly and Wynne have insisted that there's no bad blood between them
Katya and Wynne have insisted that there’s no bad blood between them ( 
Image:
BBC)

But now the fallout of the incident is continuing, with the price on Wynne leaving Strictly this weekend plummeting with BetMGM.

The opera singer was a 20/1 chance when betting opened, but the bookmaker have cut his price all the way down to 9/2, making him the third favourite to leave on Sunday evening.

UK Director at BetMGM, Sam Behar, said: “Paul Merson might be the favourite to leave Strictly this weekend but Wynne Evans certainly isn’t without a chance of leaving. He looked a lively outsider a couple of weeks ago in the outright betting but the news this week certainly hasn’t helped his chances and he’s been very well-backed to exit on Sunday night. He opened up at 20/1 but is now just 9/2, with only Paul Merson (10/11) and Punam Krishan (13/4) shorter in the next elimination betting.”

Despite the debate around what viewers witnessed, Katya has adamantly shut down claims that she was made to feel uncomfortable, or that there is any tension between the pair.

Katya has continued her attempt to patch up any controversy. Sharing a snap with her 249,000 followers on Instagram, Katya and Wynne could be seen posing in front of photos of each judge with all, minus Shirley Ballas, having a drawn on moustache to match Wynne’s Go Compare character.

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Each image of the judges also had the scores they gave to Katya and Wynne last weekend. Alongside a smiling Wynne, Katya penned: “I’m so proud of you @wynneevans,” alongside a loved-up emoji. She added: “The sweetest welcome back to the rehearsal room.” Both Katya and Wynne have been firm in their stance that this was simply a daft joke that went wrong, leading to widespread misinterpretation. And they’ve now opened up on BBC spin-off show It Takes Two, where Katya attempted to squash any rumours of a beef once and for all.

Speaking to host Fleur East, she stood firm that the idea that she was in any way offended “is total nonsense”. She revealed: “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.”