Strictly fans work out real meaning of Wynne Evans' 'inside joke' – it's bad news for him

Strictly Come Dancing fans are expressing concern for Wynne Evans following the incident between him and professional partner Katya Jones.

On Saturday night's episode of Strictly, there appeared to be palpable tension as Katya, 35, swiftly moved Wynne's hand from her waist, leading to backlash after the video went viral online. Addressing the situation on It Takes Two, Katya spoke out about her distress concerning Wynne being "portrayed as someone he is not".

In the aftermath of the uneasy exchange, the BBC announced their decision to take "no further action" after ensuring the welfare of opera singer Wynne, 52, and Katya.

Despite further clarification from Wynne and Katya that the misunderstood gesture was an "inside joke" gone wrong, viewers remain puzzled as to why the pair haven't shared the meaning of the joke with the public, if indeed it was all in good humour and not improper.

However, some eagle-eyed fans think they've figured out the real reason behind the secrecy. A social media user speculated: "One explanation given to me was they were poking fun at other couples for all their hugging and kissing and that's why they can't say what the joke was."

Others expressed concern for Wynne amidst the backlash, with one writing: "Wynne is being cancelled on social media and I find it heartbreaking. Anyone who has any sort of personality gets shut down these days. I don't believe he's a perv. I believe Katya when she says it was a joke."

Another vented: "For god's sake, she says there was no problem, he says there wasn't a problem. So there wasn't a problem. Why are people looking for stuff, when two adults say there are no issues."

A third declared: "Not all strictly fans want him axed, I love watching them and looking forward to next week. He's had my vote every week and that won't change."

Wynne candidly opened up about the situation to BBC Radio Wales listeners on Monday, lamenting: "I'm absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last day."

He conceded: "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, okay, we thought it was funny. It wasn't funny. It has been totally misinterpreted."

The dad-of-two further clarified the controversy, noting that his partner Katya had already spoken out online, adding: "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 yeah, that's all there is, there is no real story, really. And I feel weird apologising because I feel like I've not really done anything."

Confronting the uproar, Wynne admitted he "misjudged it", but reaffirmed his passion for the competition: "I'm having the best time of my life. I just don't want this to be the bit that people remember," he said.