Katya Jones ‘showing she’s in control’ as Eamonn Holmes wades in on Strictly hand incident

The broadcaster criticised the BBC's approach to such matters, stating, "The BBC is out of control, of course, anything at all that happens, they will interrupt and apologise".

Holmes further added that the broadcaster "listen[s] too much to what people say at home", implying an overreaction to public opinion.

The controversy arose from a viral video showing Wynne Evans, the 52-year-old opera singer, appearing to touch Jones's stomach during Saturday's episode of Strictly Come Dancing.

Jones, 35, was seen removing Evans's hand and placing it on her hip instead.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• Nigel Farage claims 'illegal migrant' made threat to his life in new video
• Daubney erupts as lawyer says migrant who made death threat to Farage should be WELCOMED into Britain
• Wynne Evans dealt major blow to BBC Strictly future amid 'hand incident' scandal

The incident sparked speculation on social media about tension between the dance partners. In response, Jones and Evans shared a video apologising for their "silly joke" in the Clauditorium.

However, as the speculation continued, Jones felt compelled to release an additional statement to clarify the situation and dispel any notion of discomfort or offence.

In her statement, Jones addressed the incident directly, saying: "The hand incident that happened on Saturday night was a very silly inside joke between Wynne and I, so even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended me in any way is complete nonsense."

She emphasised the absurdity of the speculation, urging viewers to focus on Evans's dancing progress instead. Jones's clear and firm response aimed to quash any lingering doubts about the nature of their professional relationship.

Her statement underscored the importance of context in interpreting on-screen interactions between dance partners.

Wynne Evans addressed the controversy on his radio programme, expressing his distress over the situation. "I'm absolutely heartbroken about the things that are being said about me in the past day," he stated.

Evans emphasised his close friendship with Jones and reiterated that their actions were a "stupid joke that went wrong".

He apologised to anyone who may have been offended but maintained that he didn't feel he had done anything wrong.

Evans concluded by saying, "I misjudged it. If there's a joke, I'm usually at the centre of it. That's basically it and now I just want to keep dancing."