STRICTLY’S Katya Jones has confirmed Wynne Evans’ ‘grope’ during Saturday’s show was simply a joke.
Reuniting for the first time since speculation kicked off today, Russian dancer Katya, 35, furiously defended the opera singer on It Takes Two this evening.
It was just hours ago that Strictly star Wynne, 52, revealed his “heartbreak” over the row on his BBC Radio Wales show.
The GoCompare face, who was seen with his hand around Katya‘s waist over the weekend, said it was “a stupid joke that had gone wrong”.
Speaking on the Strictly spin-off, Katya confirmed his story, telling host Fleur East she “can’t bear” the fan frenzy that followed.
After being asked how she found their routine, the ballroom pro butted in saying: “Sorry Fleur, sorry. I will get on to dancing I promise, but can you at least let us get something out of the way that I feel overshadowed our performance for absolutely no reason.”
She then went on to fight Wynne’s corner, telling the X Factor alum that the wanted to set the record straight for viewers.
Katya said: “Quite frankly, I actually can’t bear sitting here watching this man being portrayed as someone he’s not and in fact it couldn’t be further away from the truth.
“I have to make this absolutely clear that this whole incident with the hand and the high five on Saturday night, it was an inside joke between Wynne and I. Was it a silly joke? Yes. Was it a bad joke? Yes.”
Wynne added: “Yeah, I watched it back and I can see how people may have misinterpreted it.”
Katya continued: “However it was a joke and even 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 can you just keep making me smile please because my Sunday was pretty boring without you making me belly laugh.”
BBC viewers thought they’d seen Katya refusing to high-five Wynne on Saturday night – sparking rumours of a fallout.
After Strictly’s Week Four wrapped, the duo – who had performed a Tango earlier in the night – were quick to issue a video apology and insisted it was all an innocent “inside joke”.
Today, Wynne told his listeners: “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.
“It was a stupid joke that went wrong, OK?
“We thought it was funny. It wasn’t funny.
“It was been totally misinterpreted.”
The broadcaster then gushed over his “brilliant friendship” with the Russian and added: “Everything’s on Katya’s socials. She’s talked about it.”
Despite fans demanding the pair clarify exactly what “the joke” was, Wynne didn’t explain any further.
He said: “She’s explained that it was a joke. She wasn’t offended in the least. She doesn’t feel uncomfortable.
“We’ve got a brilliant friendship, an absolutely tight friendship, and I’m sorry if anybody was offended by it, but it was a joke.
“And that’s all there is. There is no real story, really.”
Wynne was referring to the video Katya had uploaded to her social media pages this weekend.
The clip – posted shortly after the online chaos ensued – saw Katya tell fans: “Hi everyone, it’s Wynne and Katya here, we just wanted to say we were messing around in the clauditorium on Saturday night and we just want to say sorry.”
She added: “It was a silly joke.”
While Wynne echoed: “Yeah, sorry.”
Katya then hit back a second time in a another video upload.
On Sunday afternoon, Katya returned to Instagram with another message for her fans.
She said: “Happy Sunday everyone. Now, I need to make something crystal clear.
“The hand incident that happened on Sunday night was indeed a very silly inside joke.
“So even the idea that he made me feel uncomfortable or offended me in anyway is complete nonsense.
“It’s quite absurd actually.
“Now can we just focus on how brilliant he is doing and what an amazing dancer that he’s becoming.”
Here's who is matched with who this series...
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell
Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas
JB Gill and Amy Dowden MBE
Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe
Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk
Paul Merson and Karen Hauer
Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał
Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez
Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec
Tom Dean MBE and Nadiya Bychkova
Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones
Sam Quek MBE and Nikita Kuzmin
Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola
Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu
Wynne Evans and Katya Jones
The pair’s banter came after the BBC series was engulfed in a string of scandals – though there is no suggestion Katya and Wynne’s joke was inappropriate.
The findings of a probe into former Strictly professional Giovanni Pernice’s behaviour were published earlier this month.
The report upheld six out of 17 allegations against pro dancer Gio.
The BBC has now apologised to his former show partner, actress Amanda Abbington, over the programme’s bullying scandal.
It was claimed the corporation spent an eye-watering six-figure sum on the investigation.
Meanwhile, the same investigation also saw Giovanni’s fellow Italian pro Graziano Di Prima axed after allegations of “physical incidents” towards show partner Zara McDermott, 27.
BRENDAN O’Carroll, the creator of Mrs Brown’s Boys, has issued an apology after making a racist remark that led to an internal BBC investigation.
The 69-year-old comedian used an offensive term during a read-through for the show’s Christmas special, prompting an immediate response from the BBC.
The incident occurred last week during rehearsals with cast and crew.
Sources revealed those present were shocked by the remark and subsequently raised their concerns with the BBC.
As a result, rehearsals for the Christmas special were temporarily halted while an urgent investigation took place.
Speaking to the Mirror, Brendan has acknowledged the incident, explaining: “At a read-through of the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas specials, there was a clumsy attempt at a joke, in the character of Agnes, where a racial term was implied.
“It backfired and caused offence which I deeply regret and for which I have apologised.”
The BBC responded to the situation by reaffirming its zero-tolerance policy on racism, stating: “While we don’t comment on individuals, the BBC is against all forms of racism and has robust processes in place should such issues arise.”
Brendan is the lead star in Mrs Brown’s Boys as well as being the creator of the sitcom.
A source close to the production revealed that the entire cast and crew stood down while the BBC conducted its investigation into the incident.
Rehearsals for the upcoming episode were delayed but resumed after Brendan’s apology.
The incident comes at a challenging time for the BBC, which has recently faced several controversies, including allegations of bullying on Strictly Come Dancing and the fallout from the Huw Edwards scandal.
Despite these challenges, Mrs Brown’s Boys remains one of the broadcaster’s most popular shows, with episodes drawing up to five million viewers.
The Christmas special in question is set to mark a milestone as the show’s 50th episode.
Following its win for Best Comedy at the National Television Awards, Mrs Brown’s Boys is riding high, with the BBC having recently recommissioned the show for a fifth series.
O’Carroll had previously expressed his excitement about the future of the show, saying: “We’re going to film another series in April and May [2025]. It’s lovely to be asked to do another one.”
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A JAY Slater investigator claims he knows the real reason the teen left his Airbnb on a doomed last journey.
Detective turned TV-sleuth Mark Williams-Thomas claims an answer on how Jay came to be lost in the mountainous Tenerife area could be revealed soon.
Williams-Thomas has been continuing to investigate the tragic death following Jay’s funeral last month.
Jay left an Airbnb in the village of Masca after he had partied there following a music festival in June.
The search made headlines worldwide after sleuths online tried to piece the Lancashire teen’s last moments together.
His body was found 29 days later, after he had tragically fell to his death sometime after leaving the Airbnb.
Williams-Thomas now claims to know the answer to two mysteries surrounding Jay: why he left the Airbnb and why he didn’t return.
In a post to X, he said: “Maybe, when the time is right, I will reveal those.
“I’ve got to be very careful. What I don’t want to do is upset the family with any more trauma than they have already had and so it would be something I would work very closely with Debbie and the family on to reveal that information.”
The former cop did not provide evidence but claimed he was working “closely with the family”.
Williams-Thomas has also made a surprise U-turn and revealed that information that came to him early in the investigation was not accurate.
Through mobile records and speaking to witnesses, Williams-Thomas said there were “considerable issues that existed” in the search.
He said: “One of the things that’s very clear is there is a huge amount of misinformation.
“I’ve been back and looked through some of the videos that I took when I went out there, in relation to my investigation and thought processes of whilst the investigation was going on.
“You find information out, you look at that, and then a couple of days later that information changes or is evidenced in some way.
“Some of the information that came to me in the early days wasn’t accurate and wasn’t correct and I needed to validate it.”
Williams-Thomas previously revealed why he thought Jay had decided to walk after a conversation with one of the other men at the Airbnb.
The search for Jay was hampered by amateur sleuths and conspiracy theorists who asserted wild claims and trolled the family.
Jay vanished on the morning of June 17 while on holiday on the Canary Island with two friends, Lucy and Brad.
He had travelled to an Airbnb in the remote Masca village with two men after leaving a music festival at a nightclub almost an hour’s drive away.
Later that morning he called Lucy to say he was thirsty, lost and had one per cent phone battery.
His mobile cut out at 8.50am near a hiking trail in the Rural de Teno national park — an 11-hour trek from his apartment in the south of the island.
Police spent almost two weeks combing the vast area with drones, helicopters and sniffer dogs before turning to a private search.
Jay’s desperate dad Warren, 58, and brother Zak, 24, also kept up the hunt – retracing Jay’s steps almost every day in the blistering heat.
In her first interview since Jay’s death, Debbie told The Sun…
The family were hounded by vile trolls and conspiracy theorists, who relentlessly peddled baseless claims online.
Mum Debbie slammed the trolls and called the misinformation they peddled nothing more than callous rumours.
After 29 days, Jay’s body was found on July 15 deep in a ravine close to where his phone last pinged a phone tower.
Dramatic images showed the moment a helicopter crewman was winched into the chasm with his arms aloft in the delicate recovery operation.
A post mortem conducted in the UK confirmed that Jay died because of traumatic head injuries, consistent with a “fall from height”.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Debbie said: “Jay was just a lovely boy with a massive personality.
“Everybody just loved Jay being in his company – family, friends and work.
“He was loving and popular, always full of fun and smiling – and the main guy in the group.”
THE grim discovery of a body comes after weeks of agony for Jay’s friends and family. Here is how the events unfolded
Sunday, June 16: Jay and his friends party at the last day of NRG music festival being held at Papagayo night club in Playa de la Americas, Tenerife.
June 17 3-6am: Jay leaves with Ayub Qassim and another man for a £40-a-night Airbnb 23 miles away in the village of Masca.
7.30am: Jay shares a photo on Snapchat standing at doorway of the Airbnb.
8.50am: He calls pal Lucy Mae Law and says he is “lost in the middle of nowhere” with no water, a cut to his leg and one per cent on his phone.
Tuesday, June 18: Pals search area but no sign of Jay. Local cops and mountain rescue teams start official search. Jay’s mother Debbie Duncan flies to Tenerife.
June 19-20: Spanish police deploy drones, dogs and a helicopter, but find no trace. Search moves to Los Cristianos amid possible sighting, but it is ruled out and they return to Rural de Teno, near Masca.
June 21: Lancashire Police offer support but it is declined.
June 22: Mum Debbie issues emotional appeal to Jay saying “We just need you home.”
June 24: Claims of Jay sighting in Santiago del Teide — near to where he disappeared — and family believe a grainy CCTV image could be of him.
June 25: Debbie issues plea for her son to come home as more friends fly out and TV investigator Mark Williams- Thomas joins search.
June 29: Cops rule Mr Qassim, and other man at Airbnb, out of investigation.
June 30: Spanish cops officially suspend hunt but say probe “remains open”. His family continue to search.
July 15: A body is found by helicopter search team close to where his phone last pinged. His possessions are discovered next to human remains. Spanish cops say it points to an “accidental fall”.
August 5: Tenerife authorities confirm the body found in mountainous area of island is Jay’s.
August 10: Jay’s funeral is held at Accrington Crematorium, Lancs, with hundreds of mourners gathering to remember the “one of a kind” teen.
A NEW Vanderpump Rules book will take fans back to season one and reveal all of the scandalous gossip and Easter eggs viewers may have missed over the past decade.
Author Thea de Sousa is releasing The Unofficial Vanderpump Rules Ultimate Trivia Book after years of documenting the Bravo show on her popular blog.
Thea has worked for years in Hollywood having started as a member of the second unit crew on Seinfeld and later developed screenplays for the likes of Julia Roberts.
She has had connections to the Bravo cast and crew since it first aired in 2013 and revealed all of the behind-the-scenes gossip on her blog.
The reality show hit a peak with ‘Scandoval’ when Tom Sandoval cheated on his long-term girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with her close friend, Rachel Leviss, previously known as Raquel.
After the last season, its future hangs in the balance, and Thea wanted to take a trip down memory lane with her new book.
Speaking exclusively to The U.S. Sun, Thea said, “I really know the show like back of my hand.
“Every single chapter starts with a drink recipe and then there’s also a background on one of the characters, Stassi or Jax or whoever, and then there’s 500 trivia questions.
“So it goes from kind of easy to hard covering all the seasons.
“I did all the way up until season 11 because it to the press by last spring. So it has all the seasons that have aired so far in the book.
It really encapsulates the entire show.”
Author Thea de Sousa
“And then there’s lots of fun games like ‘What Vanderpump Character Are You?’
“I kind of have a little sarcasm in it. Obviously, I just treat it with reverence because I really love the show.
“And there’s these amazing illustrations of every character, and they’re all in these iconic poses, like, you’ll have Brittany [Cartwright] saying, ‘Rawt in hell!’
“It’s super fun, if you’re a big fan, to be able to revisit from day one … a lot of stuff you forget right from the beginning of the show. So, I feel like it really acts like a retrospective.
“It’s a big, thick book that’s filled with over 500 trivia questions, games, backstory. And I feel like it really encapsulates the entire show.
“And of course, you know, I spent a lot of time with Sandoval as well, at the end, [he] has his own special chapter.
“I feel like there’s nothing really out there that you can pick up and say, ‘Oh yeah, this was season two, I’ll never forget this moment.'”
Thea says there are many shocking moments from over the years that fans may have forgotten which led to relationship breakdowns or scandals later on.
“It’s real quickly mentioned in the reunion, but people forget, Sandoval actually lived with a girl who had just graduated high school, who was just 18, and [it] was a little scandalous at the time.
“He was like 30, and he had mentioned that he and her roommate had like all kind of had a thing together.
Vanderpump Rules has returned to Bravo for one of its most explosive seasons following the fallout of Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix's relationship.
Returning Cast Members
New Cast Members
“And that’s funny to me because then cut to you know what had happened [with Scandoval], you think, well this guy is definitely the kind that is interested in friends.
“And so there are things that kind of lay the groundwork that I feel like people forget about.
“There’s so much incendiary stuff that went on behind the scenes that is always touched on in the show, but sometimes just not really extrapolated on.
“And I thought that was the most fun thing for me to explore in the book because when you see those things, then other things make more sense. It’s hard to remember 11 seasons of a show.”
Thea said she was not shocked to hear about Sandoval’s affair with Rachel having been close to the cast, while her sister had worked as Rachel’s pageant coach.
“It was very fun, slash disturbing when it all broke. I remember because my sister was Raquel’s pageant coach, and I was sitting with my sister that night and she was like, ‘Did you hear what happened?’
“I just think if the show hadn’t [have] been so great from the beginning it never would have taken off as much as it did, I think all the binging really like amped up that whole scandal.
“Just the things that happened on that show were so crazy. So it was really fun to watch people’s faces start from the beginning and say, wow, season one, season two.”
Meanwhile, production for season 12 of Vanderpump Rules has been postponed, according to reports.
Sources previously told TMZ that the network wanted to let the cast have a break in the wake of Scandoval and hoped it meant new drama would begin brewing away from the affair.
Andy Cohen explained on his show Watch What Happens Live that it is not uncommon to pause a reality show, saying, “We used to do this all the time with the housewives.
“We would say, ‘You know what? Let’s put cameras [down] for four or five months and come back to them and they will have lived their lives, things will be different.'”
Thea’s book, ‘The Unofficial Vanderpump Rules Ultimate Trivia Book‘ is available now on Amazon.
