Strictly star Wynne Evans has broken his silence on his controversial ‘spit roast’ comment – claiming he was forced to apologise.
The opera singer, 53, denied it was a sexual jibe about a female presenter – as he lifted the lid on the incident in an explosive new interview.
In January, Wynne – who is known for the Go Compare ads – was caught on camera seemingly suggesting a three-way sex session with presenter Janette Manrara.
The comment came at a photocall to launch the Strictly live tour and swiftly earned a rebuke from BBC bosses who told him: ‘We will not tolerate such behaviour.’
However, Wynne has now insisted he was using the term ‘spit roast’ as a nickname for fellow contestant Jamie Borthwick.
He told The Sun: ‘It’s been heartbreaking. “Spit-roast boy” was a nickname we all gave [fellow contestant] 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’, all right it’s nuanced, but it shows I was talking to Jamie, NOT Janette.’
An apology was released on Wynne’s behalf after the incident and he was suspended from Strictly Come Dancing’s live tour.
Wynne said he did not see the statement before it was put out. It read: ‘My language was inappropriate and unacceptable for which I sincerely apologise.’
He explained his initial reaction to finding out he had offended someone was ‘oh God, I’m so sorry’ and that this was taken as a formal apology by the press team.
Wynne has now said he was placed on 24/7 suicide watch by an crisis team after the saga which has left his career in tatters.
The 53-year-old explained that he only found out that he had been fired from the show after he read it in the newspaper.
He described the past few months as ‘truly awful’ and insisted that he was not a misogynist.
Wynne said his errors on Strictly Come Dancing were simply pranks that backfired.
It was not the first time Evans has threatened the reputation of the BBC’s biggest show as it attempts to recover from a string of scandals.
During last year’s televised shows, the 52-year-old was accused of ‘groping’ his dance partner Katya Jones, 35, although the pair dismissed it as a joke that had been misunderstood.