Women’s Aid slams BBC over Wynne Evans and Katya Jones handbag scandal as they insist ‘inappropriate behavior is no laughing matter’ – after couple say it was ‘an inside joke’

Domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid has slammed the BBC following the Wynne Evans and Katya Jones ‘groping’ scandal.

The pair came under fire this week after defending an awkward altercation on Saturday’s show, when Katya took his hand away from her waist and snubbed a high-five.

Both Wynne and Katya have insisted that an awkward ‘hand incident’ was the result of an unexplained ‘in-joke’, with the BBC later confirming that ‘Katya was not offended’ and that the ‘welfare and production teams have checked in on them both ‘.

However, Women’s Aid has dismissed the couple’s response, insisting that ‘inappropriate behavior towards women is no laughing matter’.

In a statement to The Sun, they said: ‘With an epidemic of misogyny and violence against women and girls in Britain, we need a media culture where women feel safe to speak out, where sexually inappropriate behavior is not trivialized or where are joked about.

Domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid has slammed the BBC following Wynne Evans and Katya Jones’ ‘groping’ scandal

The pair came under fire this week after defending an awkward altercation on Saturday’s show, when Katya took his hand away from her waist and snubbed a high-five.

“It is important that we challenge inappropriate ‘jokes’ so that we do not continue to normalize toxic attitudes that cultivate these forms of gender-based abuse.”

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Wynne Evans, Katya Jones and the BBC for comment.

Wynne, who was once the front runner for the Glitterball Trophy, is now in danger of being eliminated with bookmakers odds of 5/1 being sent off.

Fans have also claimed to have discovered the origin of Wynne and Katya’s inside joke, with many sharing their thoughts with X on what the joke could be.

One person posted: ‘One of the explanations I got was that they were making fun of other couples for all their hugging and kissing and so they can’t tell what the joke was.’

Others added: ‘I actually think Katya and Wynne’s drama was just a lame joke, you could see the way he laughed, it was like she was saying an inside joke’;

“I rewatched – Katya kept touching Wynne as they got feedback. She could have just held his hand if there was an issue between them. Wynne giggled during the hand incident, which made me think it was a joke between them’;

‘I don’t know either of them, but if Katya says it was a joke, maybe it was. Wynne got poked in the stomach by Neil when he went to talk to Claudia and it was clearly a joke;

The pair have insisted an awkward ‘hand incident’ was the result of an inexplicable ‘in-joke’, but Women’s Aid has said ‘inappropriate behavior is no laughing matter’

Fans now think they have it all figured out, with many sharing their thoughts with X on what the joke could be

‘Katya and Wynne: Avoiding the High 5. I think it was a private joke. The hand movement is probably not what it looks like. Maybe W hand inadvertently slipped and K moved it back to avoid all this drama. I think everyone needs to relax and stop looking for drama;”

Katja has defended her famous partner, declaring that he has been ‘portrayed as someone he is not’, while the pair insist that his ‘wandering hand’ incident was a lame joke.

On Monday night’s TV appearance, Wynne admitted that he had watched back the footage of the incident and admitted: ‘I understand how people misinterpreted it.’

While clinging to his arm, Katya said she “can’t stand” the criticism her co-star is receiving and was empathetic that there was no wrongdoing.

She said: ‘The idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is complete nonsense, and for those who doubt, you are wrong. Hopefully this is the end of it and you’ll continue to make me laugh.’

“I can’t sit here and watch this man be portrayed as someone he’s not. In fact, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

“So I have to make it very clear that this whole incident, with the hand and the high five on Saturday night, was an inside joke between Wynne and me. Was it a lame joke? Yeah, was it a bad joke? Yes.’

The incident caused such concern among BBC top brass, who have spent months firefighting accusations of misconduct in previous series, that a welfare investigation was carried out.