Evans also addressed controversy around a “running joke” between him and Jones that the pair apologised for after it was poorly received.
Viewers noticed some apparently awkward moments when Jones seemed to decline a high-five and later appeared to move Evans’s hand from her waist.
After the show the pair appeared in a social media video together describing the high-five moment as a “running joke” between them.
Jones later said it was “complete nonsense” that the moment she moved Evans’s hand away “made me feel uncomfortable or offended me in any way”.
The declined to comment, but a Strictly source told News that “the welfare team have checked in on the pair and there are no further actions planned”.
Celebrities have been outspoken about their treatment recently, and the show has put in place heightened welfare measures, including chaperones in rehearsals.
Evans said: “What I can say was it was a joke that sadly was misinterpreted.
“And I think just as we have to believe people when something really has gone wrong and we have to believe people when they say it was a joke.”
He added the coverage of it “for days on end was pretty relentless”.
When asked if explaining the joke might have relieved some of the pressure he said: “Maybe. Maybe not. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and it was just something that happened and that was it.”
Despite this, Evans said he loved his time on the show, saying it was important to preserve the show for generations to come.
“I hope Strictly’s still there when I’ve got grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and they can watch their favour people on the television,” he said.
The remaining seven couples will take to the dancefloor next week with the final on 14 December.
