Wynne Evans has broken his silence on a controversial 'spit roast' comment that prompted a Strictly Come Dancing scandal, claiming the entire situation has 'been heartbreaking'.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the Strictly star said he is not a 'misogynist' after his apology for 'inappropriate' language during a Strictly tour photocall.
The Welsh opera singer was axed from the BBC Strictly Come Dancing live tour last year after various scandals.
The Mail On Sunday reported in January that the 53-year-old, known for the Go.Compare insurance advertisements, was heard making sexual remarks to a woman in a video filmed during the Strictly tour launch.
BBC Radio Wales presenter claims the remark was simply a nickname given to his co-star, EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, denying that it was a sexual jibe about female presenter, Janette Manrara.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday (May 24) he said: "I didn’t see the statement. Old 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.
"It’s been heartbreaking. '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.
"But it absolutely wasn’t meant sexually – and the fact I used 'boy', all right it’s nuanced, but it shows I was talking to Jamie, not Janette."
An apology was released on Wynne's behalf and he was suspended from Strictly Come Dancing's live tour.
The statement read: "I’ve agreed with the BBC that I’ll take some time out from my radio show and the Strictly Live tour, as well as my other public commitments, to prioritise my wellbeing.
"I am deeply sorry for the pain my inappropriate actions have caused, and plan to take this time for self-reflection."
He continued to The Sun: "And of course, your natural reaction is, if you’re told you’ve offended someone, you say, 'God, I’m so sorry'. And so I went, 'I’m so sorry'. And that was taken as a formal apology, so the press team issued a statement. I didn’t see it.
"When I read the apology within the context of the story as it had been written, I was absolutely horrified."
He described the past few months as 'truly awful' and insisted that he was 'not a misogynist' or a bad person.
Wynne was partnered with pro dancer Katya Jones in the 2024 series. He was also criticised when a video showed him place his hand on the professional dancer's waist, which she moved, during last year's Strictly competition.
He also went to high-five her, but was rejected live on air – though he later claimed it was a 'silly joke'.v
He claimed this was a 'body language experiment' from TikTok that Jones had suggested, and added: "We did it, we laughed, we went downstairs to make-up and my phone explodes and I look at it… and let me tell you the body language experiment worked."
