Jones said: “The smile hasn’t left my face since the first day of our training, since the day we got partnered up.”
She said Evans had made the show “joyous”, adding: “I’m sure everybody was jealous, because you’re the kind of guy that everybody wants in their life.
“You bring light, you bring laughter, you bring charisma, you fill up every room you walk into with those qualities.”
After their “running joke” was poorly received the pair apologised.
It saw Jones move her dance partner’s hand from her waist following heightened scrutiny of the long-running series.
He said on radio he was “heartbroken” by the backlash, and believed the moment had been misinterpreted.
Celebrities have been outspoken about their treatment recently, and the show has put in place heightened welfare measures including chaperones in rehearsals.
The remaining seven couples will take to the dancefloor next week.