Wynne Evans says he will regret Strictly comment for rest of his life

Wynne Evans has said the comment that saw him booted off the Strictly Come Dancing live tour was ‘inappropriate and unacceptable’.

The Welsh opera singer, 53, was sensationally fired earlier this year after being caught making a sexual remark about host Janette Manrara, 41.

Soon after the incident was made public, Wynne issued an apology and said he was ‘deeply sorry for the pain my inappropriate action caused’ and would be taking break from the public eye for ‘self-reflection’ and to ‘prioritise my wellbeing’.

He was then let go from the BBC, who decided not to renew his one-year rolling BBC Radio contract following a four-month investigation.

A year on from his Strictly debut – and on the night the next batch of famous faces are set to take to the dancefloor for the first time – Wynne has said he now wants to ‘close that chapter of his life’.

‘On the anniversary of my Strictly debut, I want to close that chapter of my life with a full and sincere apology. I used a nickname that was inappropriate and unacceptable. I take full responsibility — I don’t blame anyone but myself. I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. I shouldn’t have said it,’ he said in a video posted on Instagram.

‘At 53, losing my singing work, my TV work, and my radio show was incredibly hard — but it was my fault, and I own that. The truth is, I wasn’t prepared for the level of press attention that came with Strictly, and I didn’t handle it well. Looking back, I can see how much it affected my mental health. Sometimes the bravest choice isn’t to carry on, but to step back when you know something isn’t right for you. That’s a lesson I’ve had to learn the hard way.

‘Now, I want to focus on the future.’

He then promoted his restaurant The Welsh House, and his self-titled radio program, which he said was ‘full of laughter, kindness, and connection’.

‘It’s a proper tonic, and proof that when life knocks you down, you can rebuild stronger.’

Wynne went on to share that he will ‘always have fond memories of Strictly’ and wished the 2025 contestants ‘the best of luck’, especially his former dance partner Katya Jones.

Yesterday he also addressed the scandal, sharing the following while appearing as a guest on Nick Ferrari’s LBC show.

‘I said the word so I should have accountability for that, and I wasn’t ready for that level of scrutiny, and I shouldn’t have done it. And that’s it,’ he said.

‘I wouldn’t blame anybody other than myself.

‘I totally take that as my responsibility and something that I shouldn’t have done, and I will regret that for the rest of my life.’

The performer and presenter then said he should have walked away from the Strictly live shows himself, in order to protect his mental health.

‘The one thing I wish I’d done is, I wish I’d left when my mental health started to suffer, when I started to not feel comfortable in the situation,’ he added.

In June Wynne spoke about how the negative attention from the scandal had a profound impact on his mental health during an interview on This Morning.

‘I was at my lowest ebb, I wanted to end my life. I would have if I hadn’t been surrounded by people,’ he said.

‘I remember saying to my girlfriend, “I have to kill myself. I have to because this is what they want”,’ he said, becoming choked up with emotion,’ he shared.

‘You’re full of these thoughts the entire time and it takes over your life.’

He went on to explain that he was monitored by a crisis team for a month and that his friends, family and his then- girlfriend set up a schedule to ensure that he wasn’t alone at any point in the day.

Strictly Come Dancing returns tonight at 6.40pm on BBC One.

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