Strictly’s Vito Coppola reveals truth behind Katya Jones and Wynne Evans ‘grope’ shock

STRICTLY prima Vito Coppola has revealed the information down Katya Jones and Wynne Evans' "grope" daze connected Saturday night.

The nonrecreational dancer, 32, appeared connected ITV's This Morning contiguous with his celeb spouse Sarah Hadland.

The brace were asked to code the caller contention by co-hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley.

The Italian dancer said pro dancers often "prank" their celeb contestants - saying it was lone a spot of harmless fun.

Ben said: "It's been a hard week successful galore ways and you're connected the wrong of it, with Wynne and Katya.

"We saw what happened connected the play and we've seen it since, that they've travel retired and made it precise wide that they're large mates, it was a joke.

"But it's erstwhile you recognize however forensically radical are pouring implicit the amusement and are looking for the slightest spot of accusation oregon nuance implicit what's going on. How does that feel?"

Sarah replied: "Especially for a amusement similar Strictly, arsenic you accidental there's truthful overmuch attention, you've got to spell into it wholly being yourself and support doing that, due to the fact that I wouldn't beryllium capable to support thing that isn't yourself.

"So I deliberation you've got to beryllium who you are, respond however you respond to worldly and that's each you tin bash and anticipation that radical link with that."

Ben past asked if it was an "eye-opener that they are perpetually being scrutinised" and however things tin beryllium "misconstrued".

Vito said: "The cardinal is to beryllium yourself, the fun...I'm perpetually pranking Sarah here.

"I'm perpetually waiting down a doorway [and leap out]."

Sarah went on: "If we person a toilet interruption and I'm rather a jumpy idiosyncratic and I leap adjacent more."

Show veteran Katya, 35, was seen removing the manus of creation partner Wynne, 52, as it slid further circular her tummy successful the conception of Strictly where co-host Claudia Winkleman talks astir what’s coming up next.

That came minutes aft helium was seen holding his arms up for a treble precocious 5 from Katya, lone for her to cull him, looking disgusted.

On Monday, connected BBC Two Strictly spin-off amusement It Takes Two, Katya insisted that the contention had overshadowed their show “for perfectly nary reason”.

She added: “Quite frankly I really can’t carnivore sitting present watching this antheral being portrayed arsenic idiosyncratic he’s not.

"In information it couldn’t beryllium further distant from the truth.

“So I person to marque perfectly clear, that this full incidental with the manus and the precocious 5 connected Saturday night, it was an wrong joke between Wynne and I.

“Was it a silly joke? Yes. Was it a atrocious joke? Yes.

“However, it was a gag and adjacent the thought that it made maine consciousness uncomfortable oregon offended successful immoderate mode is wholly nonsense.

"Those that person doubts, you guys person got it wrong.

"So hopefully this volition beryllium the extremity of it."

Wynne added: “I’ve watched it backmost and I tin spot however radical mightiness person misinterpreted it.”

The contention is the past happening the beleaguered corp want­ed aft a summer of ungraded which saw pros Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima leave the amusement amid allegations of atrocious behaviour.

Earlier yesterday, a TV insider said: “Strictly want­ed to gully a enactment nether 1 of the most troubling periods in the programme’s history, which had viewers profoundly suspicious astir what went connected down the scenes of the show.

“Allegations of inappropriate carnal and intersexual behaviour seemed to instrumentality immoderate of the radiance disconnected the creation contention and bosses were looking guardant to restoring the glitz and fun.

“Now there’s this bizarre incidental which seems to suggest some tension betwixt Wynne and Katya, not to notation inappropriate touching.

“The rap implicit the knuckles from Strictly was informal and determination aren’t immoderate plans to instrumentality immoderate further enactment against them.

“But ultimately, amid each the con­troversy, viewers are left not knowing rather what to think.”

Behind the scenes, Beeb bosses are said to beryllium furious astir the incident, but look to believe Katya and Wynne’s explanation that it was a gag some were complicit in.

On Sunday Katya and Wynne made a joint online video in which they apologised for what happened.

During it, Katya said: “We were conscionable messing astir successful the Clauditorium and conscionable privation to accidental sorry.”

Best known for playing opera vocalist Gio Compario connected the Go Compare TV adverts, Wynne did a radio interrogation astatine the play arsenic the hashtag “GropeCompare” started to spell viral.

He said: “I’m perfectly heartbroken by the things that person been written astir maine successful the past day.

“Katya and I are really, truly adjacent and truly bully friends.

“It was a anserine gag that went wrong, OK?

"We thought it was funny. It wasn’t funny.

“I’m atrocious if anybody was offended by it, but it was a joke.

"I consciousness weird apologising due to the fact that I consciousness similar I’ve not done anything.”