Wynne Evans' 'heartbreak' as he breaks silence about Strictly scandal
Wynne Evans' 'heartbreak' as he breaks silence about Strictly scandal
In an exclusive interview the Welsh opera singer claims the sexual comment he made was not what it seemed
Strictly star Wynne Evans has broken his silence
(Image: BBC )
Strictly star Wynne Evans has broken his silence on his controversial "spit roast" comment and has claimed he was forced to apologise. The 53-year-old Welsh presenter and opera singer has now denied it was a sexual remark about a female presenter in an exclusive interview with the Sun.
In January, Wynne Evans was caught on camera allegedly suggesting a three-way sex session with presenter Janette Manrara. He has now broken his silence and spoken directly to the press, telling The Sun how the entire situation has "been heartbreaking."
Wynne said: "'Spit-roast boy' was a nickname we all gave Jamie Borthwick because he could contort his legs over his head like a spit-roast chicken.
"I would be the first to apologise if I had used it in the double meaning of that word.
"But it absolutely wasn't meant sexually - and the fact I used 'boy', all right it's nuanced, but it shows I was talking to Jamie, NOT Janette." For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
The comment came before the launch of the Strictly live tour, and Wynne was suspended from the tour, and stepped back from his BBC show. BBC bosses told him at the time: "We will not tolerate such behaviour."
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BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - JANUARY 16: (L-R) Kai Widdrington, Jamie Borthwick, Robbie Kmetoni, Aljaž Škorjanec, Wynne Evans, Carlos Gu, Janette Manrara, JB Gill, Nikita Kuzmin, Shayne Ward and Neil Jones attend the "Strictly Come Dancing: The Live Tour 2025" photocall at the Utilita Arena Birmingham on January 16, 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)
(Image: Getty Images )
However, Evans has now insisted he used the term 'spit roast' as a nickname for fellow contestant Jamie Borthwick.
Wynne Evans issued a statement apologising in response, and took some time off of social media. He said: 'My language was inappropriate and unacceptable for which I sincerely apologise.'
Though now he claims he did not see the statement before it was published online.
He explained his initial reaction to finding out he had offended someone was "Oh God, I'm so sorry" but this was taken as a formal apology by the press team. Evans said the apology "validated the story and made it look worse".
Evans, who suffers with clinical depression, told the Sun that in the weeks following he was placed on 24/7 suicide watch by a crisis team after the incident which has completely derailed his career.
The past few months he described as "truly awful" and said that he was not a misogynist or a bad person. Evans claims that his errors on Strictly Come Dancing were simply pranks that had backfired.
He also claimed that he only found out he had been fired from Strictly after he read about it in the newspaper.
Katya Jones and Wynne Evans during their appearance on the live show of Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing show on BBC One.
(Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire )
The 'spit roast' comment was captured on video and audio by a Mail on Sunday reporter at the official launch of this year's tour at the Birmingham Arena.
In addition to this scandal, Wynne was also accused of a series of serious sexual harassments, including "groping" his dance partner Katya Jones, 35 by moving his hand over her waist in the Clauditorium, though Evans and Ms Jones later said they were "just messing around" and that it was an inside joke.
On April 14, publications such as the Sun and the Independent published further allegations about the opera star, saying that he and Jamie Borthwick were caught on video showing the pair joking backstage about a sex toy that Evans had reportedly sent to the EastEnders star.
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Though Wynne Evans posted on Facebook addressing the claims on May 1, stating that he has "done nothing wrong" and that it is the media "manipulating" and "changing the narrative of private conversations" to make him look a certain way.
WalesOnline has also contacted BBC Studios for comment.
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