Wynne Evans gushes over how his Strictly partner Katya Jones has made him more ‘body confident’ and reveals their strong bond – as he brushes off awkward wandering hand moment

Wynne Evans has gushed over his strong bond with Strictly partner Katya Jones and says she’s helped him become more ‘body confident’ – as he brushed off his awkward wandering hand moment from Saturday night’s episode.

During the fourth live show, as host Claudia Winkleman revealed this week’s voting lines were open, Wynne, 52, put his arm around Katya only for her to knock his hand away as it moved along her waist.

A second awkward interaction saw the pro dancer appear to shun her celebrity partner’s attempts at a high five after Sam Quek and Nikita Kumzin’s performance. 

Soon after in a video posted to Instagram they apologised for the odd moments saying they were just ‘messing around’.

But now he has said nothing but positive things about their partnership saying she has helped him feel more ‘comfortable’ with his appearance.

After losing an astonishing 7st in the past year – what he modestly describes as ‘a bit of timber’ – Wynne revealed even more weight has fallen off since signing up for the BBC One dance show.

He puts his weight loss down to a ­c­alorie-controlled diet, long walks with his new love, events manager Liz Brookes, 50, and – of course – the ­physical demands of Strictly.

He told The Daily Mail of his time on the show: ‘I’ve always had a bit of rhythm, but I’m not very light on my feet, but I’m really enjoying this. I’m finding it a brilliant experience. I’m more body confident.

‘Looking in the mirror all day is a bit odd for me, because the mirror is something I always try to avoid, but I’m really enjoying it actually, and being aware of my neck and my shoulders and all of that.’

Katya then added: ‘You were saying it was the first time you have seen your neck in years?’

Wynne then replied: ‘Yeah, I haven’t seen my neck in a long time. I feel like a giraffe. I think with the ballroom I could relate to the music quite well, because obviously I knew the piece really well, and so I knew the style of the Viennese music, so that was helpful. 

‘But then Katya is a very good teacher, and she helped me to learn all the bits that I needed to learn and to relax into it. It was only on the Saturday morning that I started to relax into it after all week.’

Wynne then revealed further what he had learnt from Katya saying ‘it’s about 50 per cent dancing and both 50 per cent counselling.’

He explained: ‘She’s almost 20 years younger than me, and she seems 20 years wiser than I am. We talk a lot about what’s going on in life and what’s going on in the world.

‘I suppose I’ve learned that I can only focus on myself. I can’t control anything else around me. And I mean, I still not very good at that, but I can’t control everything around me. 

I can only control what I’m doing and how I’m doing and how I’m performing and how I’m behaving, and that’s all I can really focus on.’

The pair also told how they have been rehearsing in Cardiff because of his BBC Radio Wales show – meaning Katya has met his girlfriend and two kids.

He is also teaching her Welsh and plans to take her to cocktail bars to ‘find her a Welsh bloke’. 

Wynne said: ‘She was on my radio show for three hours today. She comes in once a week, and we do like a little debrief, and then we do the question of the day, and just get involved.

‘She’s met my children, she’s met my girlfriend, she’s met my brothers, my best mates, she’s met all my friends. We had a big launch party in my house, and she met everybody then. They all have to say something about me so that she could get to know me better.

‘I’m trying to find her a Welsh bloke now!’

It comes after on Saturday night Katya and Wynne broke their silence after she was spotted appearing to push his wandering hand off her waist.

After eagle-eyed viewers expressed concern on social media, the pair took to Instagram to address the situation. 

Addressing fans in a video, Katya began: ‘Hello everybody it’s Wynne and Katya here. We just wanted to say we were just messing around in the Clauditorium on Saturday night and just want to say sorry. 

‘It was a silly joke,’ as Wynne added: ‘Yes sorry’. 

Wynne then added in the caption: ‘Apologies for this tonight we were just messing around. We really are amazing friends. The high 5’s is a running joke. Have a great evening @katyajones’.

However, some fans were left unimpressed by the reasoning as only the high-five was addressed in the video.

Replying to the tweet, viewers wrote: ‘Sorry guys how is that a joke? Ok the refusal to do the high five and the eye roll, yep get that, but the hand slowly moving across Katya’s stomach, and her moving it away and looking seriously uncomfortable?? How is that a ‘joke”

‘What about the bit where he had wondering hands and you moved them away off your stomach.’

‘This is giving ‘we need to make this video or the producers will kick us off the show’ vibes.’

‘We were more worried about the hand on the stomach that Katya moved because she was uncomfortable rather than the high five.’

‘The high 5 thing isn’t what people care about.’

‘It’s the wandering hand Wynne….might have been innocent but Katya looked uncomfortable- joke or not.’ 

Meanwhile, other fans were relieved to hear they were joking around, writing: ‘Awwwww bless that’s a relief. Love you Wynne and Katya. You smashed it tonight loved the routine, never seen you not smiling Wynne.’

‘Glad you cleared that up we worry about stuff you know.’

‘Fabulous dance tonight, and we want lots more of them please!’ 

Strictly fans were left shocked after they first spotted the incident during Saturday night’s show. 

The couple have appeared to be getting on brilliantly during training and were third on the leaderboard with their sensational Tango for week four. 

However, it seems tensions could be rising between the pair after fans took to Twitter after spotting awkward moments between the duo.  

Viewers were quick to notice the toe-curling moment as they took to Twitter to share their reactions. 

They penned: ‘Anyone else see Katya push wynne’s hand away’; ‘‘Katya moving Wynne’s hand away then….’;

‘Did anybody else just see Katya push away Wynne’s hand – she did that awkward smile.’

‘There was a really awkward moment towards the end of Strictly during judging where Wynne’s hand crept across Katya’s waist and she pushed it away’;

‘Urgh…just seen the clip of Wynne. Katya was clearly uncomfortable’. 

Elsewhere, haring the video of the awkward high-five, one fan wrote: ‘You left Wynne hanging again Katya’.

MailOnline has contacted Strictly, Katya and Wynne’s representatives for comment. 

Meanwhile fans slammed the judges for ‘overmarking’ two of the show’s contestants, insisting ‘they must really want them to win’.  

Wynne and Katya scored 34 for their Tango, receiving 8 points from Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beck and nine from Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse, making it his highest score so far.

Dancing the Tango to Abba’s Money Money Money, the judges praised him for his high energy routine, with Anton saying it was ‘tremendous’ and ‘one of your best performances.’

Craig said: ‘You bum was sticking up – but I loved, loved, loved it. Winner, winner, winner.’

Motsi agreed and said: ‘This was your best dance yet, I’ve been waiting for this dance, I knew it was coming. What I love is that you guys give us a story…beautifully timed.’

Head judge Shirley Ballas was also full of praise and said: ‘I got goosebumps, it was passionate and told a tale. You got out there and I could see you’re in it to win it.’

However some fans didn’t agree with the feedback and accused BBC bosses of giving out special treatment.

Some believed Wynne is a ‘judges’ favourite’ and ‘very cliquey’ with them all.

Earlier this month, it was revealed Wynne has found love again after the breakdown of his 16-year marriage left him contemplating suicide.

The opera singer has been in a relationship with events manager Liz Brookes, 50, since earlier this year.

Wynne previously revealed he hit ‘rock bottom’ in the midst of his depression, stemming from the end of his marriage to Tanwen, the mother of his two children, in 2016.

But Wynne is now in a relationship with fitness fanatic Liz – who is said to have helped him lose weight ahead of Strictly.

A source told The Sun: ‘Wynne and Liz met at an event and are taking things slow, but he’s excited about where the relationship might go.

‘He is in a much better place now than when his marriage ended. It’s like night and day — and he is so happy.’