Strictly Come Dancing stars Wynne Evans and Jamie Borthwick have become embroiled in scandal after a video emerged showing the pair joking backstage about a sex toy that Evans had reportedly sent to the EastEnders star.
In new footage, the two stars, who appeared on last year’s televised show and subsequent live tour, can be seen backstage as Borthwick, 30, films himself receiving a parcel from Evans, which reportedly contained a sex toy.
It is believed to have been filmed days after Evans was caught on film suggesting a group sex session with presenter Janette Manrara and Borthwick during a photo call for the live tour’s launch.
According to The Sun on Sunday, Borthwick shared the clip to the Strictly celebrities’ WhatsApp group, which made its way to BBC bosses who were left “horrified and shocked”.
The footage, which has been censored, shows Borthwick holding up a blurred object to the camera, saying, “Look at what he bought me,” sighing and gesturing to Evans, who was on the other side of the room having a costume fitting.
Borthwick added: “He ordered it to the thing, so we’re walking down today and they said, ‘Oh Jamie, there’s a package for you.’” He showed the object to the camera again and remarked, “It’s so funny”.
A source told the publication that BBC bosses were informed of the “immature footage being shared” and “formally addressed the issue and reminded the pair they had to act professionally”.
“The men were acting extremely immaturely and inappropriately, considering it was a family show, and many cast members didn’t share their crass sense of humour.
“Bosses were horrified and shocked, hoping to nip the issue in the bud, unaware the video had been shared more widely.”
The Independent has contacted representatives for Evans and Borthwick. The BBC declined to comment.
Evans was axed from the Strictly live tour in January after his comment to Manrara and Borthwick, which is said to have made the latter wince.
Evans, who rose to fame as the Opera star of the GoCompare adverts, later said that he would be taking “time out” from his BBC Radio Wales show and the Strictly tour after the reports surfaced.
“I am deeply sorry for the pain my inappropriate actions have caused, and plan to take this time for self-reflection,” he said at the time.
It came after Evans sparked controversy with a hand fiasco “joke” during a live show aired in October. In a moment filmed in a backstage area dubbed the “Claudatorium”, Evans was seen putting his hand on his professional partner Katya Jones’s stomach. Jones then awkwardly removed his hand and placed it on her hip instead.
Later, a separate clip was shared by viewers who noticed that Jones refused to give Evans a high five while standing behind the show’s co-host Claudia Winkleman. Jones turned her back on Evans and seemingly rolled her eyes at him.
At the time, Jones came to Evans’ defence, saying that the moment was a “silly inside joke” and that the reaction to it was “absurd”.
She said: “The hand incident that happened on Saturday night was a very silly inside joke between Wynne and I, so even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended me in any way is complete nonsense.
In an earlier video, Jones had said: “Hi everyone, it’s Wynne and Katya here. We just wanted to say, we were just messing around in the Clauditorium on Saturday night. We just wanted to say sorry. It was a silly joke.”
Evans chimed in, saying: “Yeah. Sorry.” He then wrote in the video caption: “Apologies for this tonight, we were just messing around. We really are amazing friends. The high fives [are] a running joke. Have a great evening.”
Evans was the eighth contestant to be eliminated from the 2024 series, and said upon his exit that he was shocked by the “lies” reported about him during his time on the programme.
“I’m still astounded that people are allowed to write any, for want of a better word, lies that they want,” he said on the BBC Radio Wales Breakfast Show. “I’m disappointed that I’ve seen that side of life.”
Last year, the BBC dancing competition faced accusations of bullying and abusive behaviour, which forced the broadcaster to apologise and fire two professional dancers – Giovanni Pernice and Graziano di Prima – from the cast. In response, the BBC has introduced a set of duty-of-care measures for the 2024 series and ensured chaperones would be present in rehearsal rooms, while two welfare specialists have joined the production team.
