Wynne Evans ‘bracing to be sacked’ by BBC amid sex toy scandal
Wynne Evans is preparing to be axed by the BBC following a string of complaints about his behaviour during and after Strictly Come Dancing, according to reports.
The opera singer and Go Compare advert star is at the centre of fresh controversy involving a reported backstage sex toy video with fellow contestant Jamie Borthwick.
The footage, said to have been filmed behind the scenes, shows Evans and the EastEnders actor joking after Evans reportedly sent him a sex toy.
The clip, obtained by The Sun on Sunday, surfaced just two days after Evans was allegedly caught on camera making a crude sexual remark to Borthwick about Strictly pro dancer Janette Manrara.
BBC bosses are said to have reprimanded both men over the incident, which has added to mounting scrutiny around Evans' behaviour.
A source claims Evans, 53, has told friends he’s “bracing himself” for the sack and is expecting to learn whether he’ll keep his BBC Radio Wales slot by the end of the month.
A source told The Sun: “Wynne is not feeling confident and has confided in friends he thinks he will be dropped.
“It’s all a waiting game now and it has been awful. Wynne says he plans to tell all immediately if he is let go.
“He wants to talk about how he feels he was thrown under the bus by Strictly chiefs and co-stars. He feels hung out to dry and is planning to come out guns blazing.”
Neither Evans nor the BBC has publicly commented on the latest reports.
The Standard has contacted Wynne Evans’s rep and the BBC for comment.
Elsewhere, Evans’ former Strictly professional dance partner Katya Jones defended the star.
"I can only obviously speak from my personal experience, but I thought Wynne was incredible," she told The Sun's Fabulous magazine at the weekend.
"We spent a huge amount of time together and we had a brilliant partnership. We got on like a house on fire."
Evans stepped down from the Strictly tour after footage emerged of him making an obscene sexual remark to Manrara.
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He issued a public apology at the time, saying: “My language was inappropriate and unacceptable, for which I sincerely apologise.”
Evans, a father-of-two, is said to believe his earlier comment was taken out of context. The BBC is understood to have halted an internal investigation into that incident due to concerns over his mental health.
He has since stepped back from his BBC Radio Wales show and is reportedly considering legal action against the BBC for reputational damage.
With the support of his girlfriend Liz Brookes, he is said to have hired lawyers and compiled a 30-page dossier.