Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left stunned on Saturday night after witnessing an awkward moment between professional dancer Katya Jones and her celebrity partner Wynne Evans.
During a group scene on the live broadcast, 52-year-old Evans placed his arm around 35-year-old Jones’ waist, only for her to appear displeased and swiftly push his hand away.
The incident quickly became a hot topic on social media, with fans expressing their disbelief. One viewer tweeted: “Anyone else see Katya push Wynne’s hand away.” Another remarked: “Katya moving Wynne’s hand away then….”
Emma Woolf, speaking on GB News, praised Jones for her actions. “Good for her”, Woolf said.
“I’m glad that women now feel strong enough and empowered enough to go ‘get your hands off me’, of course it shouldn’t happen.”
Emma Woolf praised Katya Jones
BBC / GB NEWS
She added, “If he was being creepy and putting his hand too much around her waist, then I’m glad that she was pushing it away and saying, ‘get your hands off of me’.”
Woolf’s comments highlight the importance of women setting boundaries in professional settings, even when working closely with others.
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Following the social media buzz, Jones and Evans quickly addressed the incident in an apology video shared on Instagram. The pair clarified that the awkward moment was simply a “silly joke”.
Jones explained: “We just wanted to say we were messing around,” while Evans added, “We wanted to say sorry. It was a silly joke.”
Wynne Evans and Katya Jones are partners on this year’s edition of Strictly
BBC
However, body language expert Judi James, speaking to Express.co.uk, cast doubt on their explanation.
James noted that the couple’s apology video “only seems to dig a bigger hole” as both looked awkward with “no signals like eye contact, shared smiling or giggling together to form much in the way of a denial”.
Despite the awkward moment, Jones and Evans impressed the judges with their tango performance to Abba’s “Money, Money, Money”.
Wynne Evans placed his arm around Katya Jones’ waistBBC
The pair received high marks, including two nines from judges Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse, resulting in their highest score to date of 34 points. This placed them joint second on the leaderboard for the week.
Evans, known for being the face of Go Compare adverts since 2009, has embraced his participation on the show with humour and self-deprecation.
He quipped: “I’m an overweight opera singer and I’m having the best time.” The 52-year-old added a lighthearted comment about his physical transformation, saying: “Maybe fat men can dance after all.”