Strictly star Wynne Evans’ fight against BBC ‘delayed over mental health concerns’
He was 'ready to fight'.
Wynne Evans’ meeting with BBC bosses has reportedly been delayed over mental health concerns.
The 53-year-old GoCompare opera singer, who appeared on Strictly Come Dancing last year, was scrapped from the show’s live tour after being caught on camera making an inappropriate comment during a photo call with other cast members.
He made a joke about having a threesome, or ‘spit roast’, with Strictly presenter Janette Manrara, and was told by the BBC that such behaviour would not tolerated.
He apologised ‘for the pain my inappropriate action caused’ and has since remained out of the spotlight.
There were reports he was ready to ‘fight’ for his reputation, but now a planned meeting with bosses has been postponed.
‘The stress of what has happened to his reputation has been weighing heavily on his mind,’ an insider told The Sun. ‘The decision has been made to postpone the meeting by a couple of weeks to allow Wynne time to get his head straight.’
Strictly star Wynne is said to have been ‘struggling’ (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)While he was reportedly ‘ready to fight’, it’s said he has been ‘struggling’.
‘Wynne was due to meet the BBC last week to talk about the concerns raised against him and how, if they could, move forward,’ the source added.
‘Wynne was ready to fight but in recent weeks he has been struggling mentally.’
The outlet previously reported that Evans ‘feels he has been treated unfairly and won’t go down without a fight’.
The GoCompare opera singer was ‘ready to fight’ (Picture: Jordan Mansfield/Comic Relief)It’s claimed he thinks there is ‘a case for loss of earnings’, plus ‘unfair dismissal’ and ‘a potential breach of contract’.
Insiders also claimed to the publication that Evans’ ‘spit roast’ comment was not aimed at Manrara, as had been reported, and that he feels that was known by others present at the photo call.
It had previously been reported that Evans’ co-stars were ‘rallying around him’ and Manrara had ‘nothing but affection’ for him, while she has yet to publicly comment on the situation.
Janette Manrara has not commented publicly (Picture: Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock)Following the incident, Evans released a statement after he was given a warning over his disgusting ‘joke’ by tour producers, saying: ‘My language was inappropriate and unacceptable for which I sincerely apologise.’
He also wrote on Instagram: ‘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.
Wynne was paired with Katya Jones on last year’s series (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)‘I am deeply sorry for the pain my inappropriate action have caused, and plan to take this time for self-reflection.
‘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.’
Evans’ rep previously told Metro: ‘Wynne was not sacked from the Strictly tour: he was unable to continue for health reasons,’ while declining to comment on other claims.
Metro has contacted Evans’ rep for comment on the latest report.
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