Wynne Evans breaks silence on BBC Strictly scandal as he shares context of ‘lewd’ joke: ‘Not a misogynist’
Opera singer Wynne Evans has broken his silence on the Strictly Come Dancing tour scandal, claiming he was “forced to apologise” over a “spit-roast” comment that was widely interpreted as a sexual slur.
The 53-year-old Go Compare star has denied the remark was directed at presenter Janette Manrara, insisting it was actually a nickname for fellow contestant Jamie Borthwick.
“It’s been heartbreaking. I didn’t see the statement. ‘Spit-roast Boy’ was a nickname for Jamie Borthwick. I’m not a bad guy, I’m not a misogynist, I’m not any of these things.” Evans told The Sun.
“I would be the first to apologise if I had used it in the double meaning of that word. But it absolutely wasn’t meant sexually – and the fact I used ‘boy’ shows I was talking to Jamie, not Janette.”
Evans claims he was unaware of the statement issued on his behalf following the incident, which read: “My language was inappropriate and unacceptable for which I sincerely apologise.”
“I didn’t see the statement,” he said. “When I read the apology within the context of the story as it had been written, I was absolutely horrified.
“And I was embarrassed and I was ashamed of myself. Because the apology always makes it look worse. It validates the story.”
The Welsh presenter revealed he only discovered he had been suspended from the BBC and axed from the tour after reading it in The Sun newspaper.
GB News has contacted the BBC about Evans’ statements.
“Two weeks after that photocall, I was sat in this hotel room and I start to get these calls saying, ‘You have used a term that is really offensive’,” Evans explained.
He added: “Your natural reaction is, if you’re told you’ve offended someone, you say, ‘God, I’m so sorry’. And that was taken as a formal apology.”
The tenor detailed his terrifying mental health collapse in the wake of his suspension, revealing he was placed on 24/7 suicide watch by an NHS crisis team.
“I’ll always be grateful to them, the NHS crisis team in Carmarthen. They came and they looked after me every day, and when they weren’t with me, my friends were,” Evans said.
Diagnosed with clinical depression, Evans takes anti-depressants and admitted he planned his own suicide during his darkest moments.
“When you’ve got depression, my thing is I don’t want to kill myself… I just don’t want to be alive, and it took me to that place,” he revealed.
Evans expressed disappointment with the BBC’s handling of his mental health struggles, saying: “I’ve catalogued my mental health for years and I’ve been really open about it, so it was really hard and I felt like I was pushed to the real end.”
The opera singer also addressed two other incidents that led to his removal from the tour.
He described a controversial moment with dance partner Katya Jones as a “body-language experiment” rather than inappropriate touching.
“Katya says to me, ‘Why don’t we create our own body-language experiment? Put your hand on my waist, I’ll move it back, and let’s see if people notice’,” he explained.
Evans admitted a separate incident involving a sex toy sent to Jamie Borthwick was “a stupid joke that backfired” and “deeply unprofessional”.
Despite the controversy, Evans said he has received support from his Strictly co-stars, including Janette Manrara herself.
“Everyone has been really supportive. I’ve had supportive messages from everyone from JB to Shayne Ward to Michelle, to Aljaz [Škorjanec] and Janette. She texted me to say, ‘Look after yourself and be strong’.”