Wynne Evans has broken his silence on the 'spit roast' scandal that saw him suspended from the Strictly Come Dancing live tour and his subsequent departure from the BBC show
Strictly Come Dancing's Wynne Evans has finally spoken out about his contentious "spit roast" quip, asserting he was pressed to make an apology. The 53-year-old Welsh broadcaster and operatic tenor categorically refutes that the comment, directed at a female presenter, was lewd in an exclusive with The Sun.
Back in January, Wynne Evans faced controversy when he was recorded seemingly alluding to a ménage à trois with host Janette Manrara. He has now broken his silence and shared with The Sun the profound distress the episode has caused.
He clarified: "'Spit-roast boy' was a nickname we all gave Jamie Borthwick because he could contort his legs over his head like a spit-roast chicken."
He added: "I would be the first to apologise if I had used it in the double meaning of that word."
However, he maintains: "But it absolutely wasn't meant sexually - and the fact I used 'boy', alright it's nuanced, but it shows I was talking to Jamie, NOT Janette.", reports Wales Online.
Wynne was suspended from the Strictly live tour before it began and took time away from his BBC programme following the incident. At that time, BBC chiefs made it clear to him: "We will not tolerate such behaviour."
Evans now stands firm in his explanation that the term "spit roast" was simply a nickname for Jamie Borthwick, another participant on the show.
Wynne Evans issued an apology at the time. He said: "My language was inappropriate and unacceptable for which I sincerely apologise."
However, he later stated that he hadn't seen the statement before it went public, explaining that his off-the-cuff expression of regret was misconstrued as a formal apology by the press team, which he believes "validated the story and made it look worse".
The BBC insists that any statement released on behalf of Wynne would have had his full approval.
Following the incident, Evans, who battles with clinical depression, revealed to The Sun that he was put under constant watch by a crisis team, saying the ordeal has been "truly awful" and asserting that he is neither misogynistic nor a bad person.
He recounted how his mistakes on Strictly Come Dancing were merely pranks gone wrong.
Evans also disclosed that he learned of his dismissal from Strictly through a newspaper article.
The controversial 'spit roast' remark was recorded by a Mail on Sunday journalist during the official launch of this year's tour at the Birmingham Arena.
Wynne Evans has been marred in controversy following multiple allegations, including claims of serious sexual harassment. One incident involved him allegedly "groping" dance partner Katya Jones by placing his hand on her waist, however, both Evans and Ms Jones later dismissed the claims as an inside joke.
Further allegations emerged on April 14, with publications such as The Sun and The Independent reporting that Evans and EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick were caught on video joking about a sex toy Evans had reportedly sent to the soap star.
In response to the claims, Wynne Evans took to Facebook on May 1 to deny any wrongdoing, instead accusing the media of "manipulating" and "changing the narrative of private conversations" to portray him in a certain light.
