Wynne Evans to take time out of Strictly live tour

Singer and broadcaster Wynne Evans has said he is taking “time out” from the Strictly Come Dancing tour as well as his “other public commitments”, to “prioritise my wellbeing”.

The Welsh tenor’s statement came two days after he apologised for making an “inappropriate and unacceptable” comment.

The Mail on Sunday reported that he made a sexualised remark as the tour’s dancers prepared for a group photo at the tour’s launch.

On Monday, the BBC said he was “taking time off” from presenting his weekday show on BBC Radio Wales.

“I’ve agreed with the BBC that I’ll take some time out from my radio show and the Strictly Live tour, as well as my other public commitments, to prioritise my wellbeing,” he said on Tuesday.

“I am deeply sorry for the pain my inappropriate actions have caused, and plan to take this time for self-reflection.

“Apologies to those I won’t get to see at the remaining performances and I’m grateful to my fellow tour gang for all the amazing support they have given me.”

Evans and dance partner Katya Jones were among the Strictly stars who embarked on the arena tour earlier this month. It is due to finish on 9 February.

Evans, known for being the opera singer on the Go.Compare adverts, has also been absent from his BBC Radio Wales show this week.

At the weekend, a spokesperson for BBC Wales said it does not “tolerate unacceptable behaviour”, before later confirming he would be “taking time off”.

However, a new TV show with Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page, Wynne & Joanna: All at Sea, was released by the BBC on Monday as planned.

His behaviour during the recent series of Strictly also attracted attention from viewers over what some described as awkward incidents. They included Jones appearing to turn down a high-five from Evans and move his hand from her waist during an episode in October.

The duo later said the high-five moment was a “running joke” between them, while Jones said it was “complete nonsense” that Evans’ hand on her waist “made me feel uncomfortable or offended me in any way”.

Evans and Jones were the eighth pair to be voted out of Strictly, which was won by comedian Chris McCausland.

Earlier last year, professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima left Strictly’s line-up following allegations about their behaviour towards their celebrity partners.

The BBC apologised to actress Amanda Abbington about Pernice’s behaviour during the 2023 series of the show and upheld complaints accusing him of verbal bullying and harassment, while the most serious claims of physical aggression were not upheld.

The BBC announced new welfare measures for Strictly last July, including introducing chaperones in all rehearsal rooms, adding two new welfare producers and providing additional training for the professional dancers, production team and crew.