A Strictly Come Dancing star has slammed the BBC over its ‘double standards’ following presenter Naga Munchetty’s alleged ‘sex jibe’.
Welsh opera singer, Wynne Evans, 53, was sensationally dumped from the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour earlier this year over inappropriate comments he made.
The ‘unacceptable’ joke – which was first believed to be towards host Janette Manrara but Wynne has since insisted it was a jibe at Jamie Borthwick – apparently referenced having a threesome.
Soon after, he apologised, saying he was ‘deeply sorry for the pain my inappropriate action caused’ and would take a break from the public eye for ‘self-reflection’ and to ‘prioritise my well-being’.
Now, however, following the news that BBC Breakfast star Naga is facing bullying allegations and inappropriate ‘sex jibe’ claims, Wynne has called out the director general, Tim Davie.
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Posting the front page of The Sun in a now-deleted post, Wynne said: ‘I really wish Naga well and I hope she doesn’t get hounded.
‘But come on @bbc @bbccymruwales what double standards.
‘Tim Davie [Director-general of the BBC] promised to protect people on Strictly from being hounded by the press, but he won’t even meet with me.’
Presenter Naga, 50, hosts the BBC flagship morning programme alongside Charlie Stayt.
It was reported earlier this year that an internal investigation was being carried out into allegations of bullying at the program.
Since, it has emerged that the editor of BBC Breakfast, Richard Frediani, is taking an extended period of leave after allegations of bullying behaviour, including a claim he shook a female colleague.
Deadline reported that Naga had raised concerns with senior BBC figures regarding his conduct, amid other misconduct complaints colleagues made against him.
The Sun then reported claims that Naga faced her own bullying allegations. No formal action has been taken, but she is said to have been spoken to about an incident.
Wynne previously spoke to The Sun about the fallout, saying he is ‘not a bad guy’.
He also stated that he is ‘not a misogynist’, explaining that ‘spit-roast boy’ was a nickname given to EastEnders actor Jamie, insisting that the quip was a prank that ‘backfired’.
‘It’s been heartbreaking,’ he said of the aftermath. ‘”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.
‘I would be the first to apologise if I had used it in the double meaning of that word.
‘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.’
Earlier this month, Wynne shared a full apology video from Strictly Come Dancing, which he claims the BBC ordered him to cut short.
The singer and his professional dance partner sparked controversy when she appeared to move his hand from her waist, which he said was ‘just a body language experiment that was picked up on’.
The pair shared a brief apology video at the time, but he has now shared a different version, which is 50 seconds long instead of the 10-second clip that got published.
His video begins with Katya saying: ‘Hello everyone. We felt the need to clarify something. We find it quite fascinating how people take time to look into in such detail every gesture, every look.’
Wynne added: ‘So we thought we’ll mess around. And we said, “Oh I’ll put my hand on your waist, you pretend to move it away, and let’s see who notices it.”
‘And now everybody thinks I’m a weirdo. But really, I promise you I’m not. And we’re doing this high ten thing as well, where she blanks me from a high ten.’
The pair insisted it was ‘all sort of planned just to see if anybody notices’, while Katya said they wanted to ‘clarify that it’s all just messing around’.
‘He’s not a creep,’ she added. ‘But he’s a brilliant dancer.’
When he was removed from the bill, having already done several performances, a spokesperson from the BBC said: ‘We have made it very clear to Wynne that we do not tolerate such behaviour on the tour.
‘We were not previously aware of the remark and did not receive any complaints.’
Metro has contacted the BBC for comment.
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