Strictly's Katya Jones and Wynne Evans breaks silence on viral 'wandering hands' clip: 'Complete nonsense'

The latest series of Strictly Come Dancing has found itself at the centre of a potential new controversy just weeks after it began. Since last year’s series—when Amanda Abbington quit the show early and requested to review rehearsal tapes—the show has experienced its fair share of scandals, including the Graziano Di Prima and Zara McDermott drama and bullying allegations against Janette Manrara.

Now, with the current season just getting underway, another incident has emerged that has viewers talking. Fans of the hit show have expressed concerns over an awkward moment between professional dancer Katya Jones and her celebrity partner Wynne Evans, with many wondering if this series will follow the trend of producing controversial moments.

Katya Jones and Wynne Evan’s ‘wandering hands’ moment takes over the internet

The buzz surrounding Katya Jones and Wynne Evans began when fans noticed what they described as an uncomfortable moment between the pair. A clip recently went viral online where the well-known Go Compare opera singer was seen standing with the cast, with his arm wrapped around Katya’s waist.

In the seconds that followed, his hand is seen inching towards her midriff. In response to Wynne’s ‘wandering hands’, Katya subtly moved it back and continued to smile. Despite her smile, fans were quick to point out what appeared to be an uncomfortable situation, with some calling on the BBC to step in.

In another clip, Katya seemingly snubbed a high-five from Wynne and gave him a stern expression before turning to the cameras and smiling again.

These videos soon garnered millions of views online as viewers debated whether it was an innocent moment or something more serious. One fan wrote on X:

Did anyone else notice Katya push Wynne’s hand away? It looked awkward.

Another two added:

I saw that too! She smiled, but it didn’t look like she was okay with it.

The look on Katya’s face tells me she is not impressed by him.

Katya and Wynne break silence on the show’s viral moment

In response to the public outcry, both Katya and Wynne have addressed the situation directly. Wynne, in particular, appeared deeply affected by the backlash, revealing his disappointment over how the incident was interpreted. Speaking on BBC Radio Wales, he admitted:

I’m absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day.

It’s not nice to live in that time, but basically Katya and I are really, really close and we’re really good friends, and on Saturday night we made a stupid joke.

Emphasising that it was an inside joke, he added:

It was a stupid joke that went wrong, okay, we thought it was funny. It wasn’t funny. It has been totally misinterpreted…I feel weird apologising because I feel like I’ve not really done anything.

Meanwhile, Katya also took to her Instagram to reassure fans that ‘she wasn’t offended in the least’ and didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. Explaining that the incident was nothing more than light-hearted fun, she said:

Even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended me in any way is complete nonsense. It’s quite absurd, actually.

However, some fans remain unconvinced, blaming the BBC for ‘forcing’ Katya to downplay the incident to protect Strictly’s reputation.

One commented:

the bbc forcing a woman to pretend being groped on tv was a ‘joke’ doesn’t surprise me at all, very on brand

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Sources used:

The Standard: Katya Jones breaks her silence after she was spotted pushing Wynne Evans’ hand away on Strictly

Metro.co.uk: Strictly’s Wynne Evans ‘heartbroken’ over ‘wandering hands’ drama with Katya Jones