Sarah Hadland makes feelings clear on BBC Strictly 'hand incident' row as Katya Jones and Wynne Evans deny rift

During Saturday's episode of Strictly, in which both Hadland and Evans made it through to the next round of the competition, Jones was spotted rejecting a high-five from her dance partner.

Later in the show, Evans came under fire for seemingly moving his hand across Jones' torso, prompting her to brush his hand aside.

Jones slapped down the suggestion Evans had acted inappropriately or made her "uncomfortable", branding the backlash he's received as "absurd" and insisted their antics were merely part of an "inside joke".

Now, hours after fellow Strictly star Gorka Marquez was quizzed about the saga on ITV, Hadland too faced questions about the incident - and she clearly feels there's nothing to the subsequent rift rumours.

Ben Shephard quizzed Hadland and pro dancer Vito Coppola on Wednesday's This Morning where he asked: "It's been a difficult week in many ways, you're on the inside of it, for Wynne and Katya. We saw what happened on the weekend and we've seen it since they've come out and made it very clear that they're great mates and it was a joke.

"But it is when you understand how forensically people are pouring over the show and they're looking for the slightest bit of information or nuance to what's been going on. I wonder how that feels, Sarah?"

Hadland replied: "I think really, you've got to - especially with a show like Strictly when there is, as you say, so much attention - you just have to go into completely being yourself and keep doing that."

Supporting Evans and Jones against the suggestion they could be hiding their true feelings from viewers, Hadland continued: "You wouldn't - well, I wouldn't be able to maintain something that isn't yourself so you just have to be who you are, react how you react to stuff, and that's all you can do and hope that people can connect with that and appreciate that."

Shephard weighed back in to ask if "constantly being scrutinised" by the public had proven to be an "eye-opener" for the actress, again referring to the so-called Evans and Jones "hand incident".

Coppola took it upon himself to reply as he cut in: "I think it's good because we always have our fun.

"The key is be yourself. So I'm being myself. The fun... I mean, I'm constantly pranking (Hadland) here, always waiting behind a corner or behind a door..."

Hadland then interjected: "If we have a toilet break - and I'm quite a jumpy person... I'm like, 'Wah!'"

The pair shared a laugh before moving on with the discussion, suggesting "inside jokes" aren't a rarity behind the scenes of the BBC dance competition.

Evans and Jones will be hoping to ignore the controversy come Saturday evening as they prepare to perform a Quickstep to Mr Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra for Week Five of the competition.

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They impressed the likes of Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke last weekend, racking up their first nines of the series.

However, despite their improvement on the dance floor, new data suggests that the entire saga that has dominated headlines this week has massively dented their chances at glory.

Bookmakers everywhere have slashed odds on Evans ending up in this week's dance-off, despite his commendable scores week after week.

Hadland and Coppola, on the other hand, will be dancing the Samba to Do It Do It Again by Rafaella Carrà.