Strictly Come Dancing stars Katya Jones and Wynne Evans forced to apologise after behaviour on air left viewers concerned

Professional dancer Katya Jones and her Strictly Come Dancing partner Wynne Evans have issued an apology following an awkward on-screen moment that left viewers shocked.

Saturday night's episode showed Welsh opera singer Evans placing his hand on Jones' waist, leading her to bat it away.

Separate footage showed Jones avoiding a high five with her dance partner and rolling her eyes.

(BBC)

One viewer wrote: "I’ve seen the clip, and to be fair when his arm is around her, she looks decidedly uncomfortable, and as for the ‘High Five’ hmmmm

"Were they messing around…? To be fair his body language looks extremely awkward after the high five, he didn’t know what to do with his hands, hence the rubbing of his face…

"I have to say, I did cringe watching it… "

The moment caused a furore on social media, leading to the two issuing a joint apology video.

You can watch what the pair had to say below:

On Instagram, Jones said: "We just wanted to say we were messing around," and Evans chimed in: "We wanted to say sorry. It was a silly joke."

One person wrote on social media: "The whole #Katya #Wynne incident last night on #StrictlyComeDancing was awful, but Katya having to do an apology video, just doesn’t sit right."

Prior to the awkward exchanges, Jones and Evans had impressed the Strictly judges after performing the tango to Abba's hit 'Money Money Money'.

Craig Revel Horwood, who is part of the judging panel, said: "Your bum was sticking up - but I loved, loved, loved it. Winner, winner, win."

Shirley Ballas added: "I got goosebumps, it was passionate and told a tale."

The performance saw them earn their highest score yet - 34 points - and landed them both in second place.

Evans, who is perhaps best known for his appearance in Go Compare TV adverts, has previously poked fun at his appearance.

He said: "I'm an overweight opera singer and I'm having the best time.

"Maybe fat men can dance after all.

"I found my ribs this week after not seeing them since 1987."

Jones has since issued a further statement following the footage.

The pair have spoken out about the footage (BBC)

She said: "Happy Sunday, everyone. Now I need to make something crystal clear.

“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.

“It’s quite absurd, actually. Can we focus on how brilliantly he’s doing and what an amazing dancer he’s become?"

Meanwhile BBC News reported that a source for the show told them: "The welfare team have checked in on the pair and there are no further actions planned."

The much-talked about episode saw TV presenter Nick Knowles being given the chop from the competition, following a week of absence as a result of a shoulder injury.

LADbible Group has contacted the BBC for a comment.