Wynne Evans 'sacked' from Strictly live tour after 'inappropriate' comment
BBC presenter and Strictly star Wynne Evans has reportedly been dropped from the Strictly Come Dancing UK tour. It comes after he apologised for an "inappropriate and unacceptable" remark made during the live tour launch.
The Sun now reports that the BBC Wales DJ has now been 'sacked' from the tour. According to a source that told the publication: "He's had repeated warnings about his behaviour and told to reign it in. He's not been taking it in, in this day and age the BBC have to be seen taking action and safeguard everyone."
They went on to say that Go Compare star Evans has had a "lot of support" from backstage dancers and it was a "sad" ending for the tour, adding: "He's had a tough time with the death of his brother and people should give him some slack, he is going to take this time off to do some self reflection.
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"He has a lot of support from a lot of the backstage dancers. It's been a really sad ending to what has been a really fun tour."
On Sunday news broke that the 53-year-old was heard making an offensive sexual comment to Janette Manrara, the tour's host, when she approached the group during the launch event on January 16. It was reported that show producers had given him a warning over the comment and emphasised there is a zero-tolerance approach towards such conduct on the tour.
In a statement, Evans, who had to sit out the Glasgow performance on Saturday due to an injury to his ankle, apologised and said: "My language was inappropriate and unacceptable for which I sincerely apologise."
A spokesman for the Strictly live tour and BBC Studios said: "We were not previously aware of the remark and did not receive any complaints. We have made it very clear to Wynne that we do not tolerate such behaviour on the tour."
On Monday, Evans was absent from his BBC Wales Radio show and the station said he is "taking some time off from his show". Robin Morgan is presenting in his place.
In October, Evans and Jones apologised for a "joke" that saw her move Evans' hand from her waist during the BBC show. In another moment, Jones appeared to not want to high-five her celebrity partner, which they called "a running joke".
Amid the backlash this week, on Monday, Jones shared a number of photos of her and Evans to her Instagram story and wished him a happy birthday, describing Evans as an "incredible human". They were also spotted enjoying a birthday walk around Liverpool along with Jones' ex-husband and Strictly pro Neil Jones.
On Monday evening, Evans released a statement on his Instagram confirming that he had "agreed with the BBC" to leave the Strictly tour and take some time away from his radio show. He said: "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.
"Apologies to those I won't get to see at the remaining performances and I'm grateful to my fellow tour gang for all the amazing support they have given me."
