Wynne Evans recalls the moment he 'fought to save his own life' near BBC building

Daily Mirror

5 days ago

Wynne Evans has opened up on how the Strictly Come Dancing scandal affected him in a candid post as he calls the system 'broken' and takes aim at BBC bosses
Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans has candidly revealed how "close to the edge" he came following the Strictly scandal. The former Go Compare star, 53, has accused the BBC 's Strictly Come Dancing of being 'fundamentally flawed in its duty of care'.
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His comments come almost a year after his appearance on the BBC dance competition. As part of the 20th series, Evans partnered professional dancer Katya Jones.
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However, in May, Evans announced he had been dropped by the BBC and would no longer present on BBC Radio Wales after apologising for using 'inappropriate language' during the launch of the Strictly tour.
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And he revealed his thoughts after the turmoil saw him chat to a psychiatrist. In his post on Tuesday, the tenor said: 'Tim Davie publicly promised that the BBC would safeguard people who took part in Strictly.
'I thought about that promise while sitting in a psychiatrist's office near the BBC, staring out of the window at the BBC building, fighting to save my own life. That's how close I came to the edge."
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He went on: "I'm not writing this as a victim, as I said I will own my mistakes. I'm writing it because the system is broken. Strictly is now fundamentally flawed in its duty of care. It's allowed to continue because of ratings, while people's wellbeing is left in tatters.'
Evans also accused the BBC of engaging in a series of 'lies and cover‑ups in order to absolve themselves of any wrongdoing' and said this was the 'hardest part' for him.
He added: 'From my dealings right at the very top with (BBC director-general) Tim Davie, through BBC Wales and the HR department, one feeling has been constant: the only thing they truly care about is protecting themselves and their jobs and Ratings – people come second.
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'When I first stepped into the rehearsal room at Strictly, I thought it would be a magical experience. And at the start, it was. But the very first thing I was told was: 'Don't trust anyone in this room — not even me.'
'That hit me hard. I've always worn my heart on my sleeve, and while I may sometimes sail close to the line, there's never malice in what I do. What I wasn't prepared for was the way people will protect their personal and BBC brands, at any cost.'
Elsewhere in his post, Evans claimed in the HR department had 'twisted facts, invented files and dates, and created a version of events that simply wasn't true'.
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He said: "Statements were issued in my name that I hadn't even seen, let alone agreed to. My voice was taken away."
He had previously shared an apology after the Mail On Sunday reported in January he had aimed a sexual joke at one of the other professional dancers, Janette Manrara.
In May, he told the Sun that the comment made on the show's tour was not sexual or directed at one of the female cast. He said it was actually a nickname for fellow contestant, EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick.
The BBC declined to comment on Evans' social media post.