Katya Jones and Wynne Evans have apologised to Strictly Come Dancing viewers, saying an awkward moment where the dancer pushed away the opera singer’s hand from her midriff was just them “messing around”.
Professional dancer Jones, 35, was seen reacting as Evans, 52, placed his hand near her midriff while the pair stood alongside other contestants during an interlude on Saturday night’s show.
Evans’s wandering hand was visible to the audience as they stood beside the other contestants while host Claudia Winkleman addressed the camera.
Although Jones smiled throughout, she did gently brush his hand away.
“Anyone else see Katya push Wynne’s hand away,” wrote one fan on social media.
Another added: “Did anybody else just see Katya push away Wynne’s hand – she did that awkward smile.”
The pair were quick to clarify that they were “messing” around and that there was nothing more sinister.
“We just wanted to say we were messing around,” said Jones, alongside Evans, in a video that she shared on Instagram.
“We wanted to say sorry. It was a silly joke.”
Despite the incident sparking concern of fans online, the pair performed well in the fourth week of competition – their tango racking up 34 points for the joint second highest score.
Judge Motsi Mabuse said it was the pair’s “best dance yet, [a] story with quality underneath”.
Fellow judge Shirley Ballas added: “It took risks, passionate, told a tale, I got goosebumps, you’re in it to win it, mate”
The judges awarded 8, 9, 9, and 8 out of ten to put them through to the next round.
Evans is a well liked opera singer who is well known for being the face of the Go Compare adverts since 2009.
“I’m an overweight opera singer and I’m having the best time,” he said.
“Maybe fat men can dance after all. I found my ribs this week after not seeing them since 1987.”
