Wynne Evans' intense demand for a word to Katya at mic moment captured | TV and Radio

Strict fans noticed Wynne Evans’ one-word demand for dancer Katya Jones before becoming embroiled in controversy.

The pair took to the dance floor at the weekend to perform a tango, but a preview clip shared on the Strictly Come Dancing Instagram page showed Wynne mouthing the word “money” as he mimed the lyrics to the popular Abba song while showing off your dance moves.

It comes after fans of the show were “startled” when the 52-year-old opera singer put his hand around Katya’s waist during Saturday night’s live performance.

However, Wynne later issued an apology, admitting he was “heartbroken” by the reaction to the moment. Meanwhile, Katya revealed the incident was a “very silly” inside joke.

He told BBC Radio Wales: “I am absolutely heartbroken by the things that have been written about me in the last few days. It’s not cool to live in that time, but basically Katya and I are very, very close and we’re good friends, and on Saturday night we made a stupid joke.

“It was a stupid joke that went wrong, okay, we thought it was funny. It wasn’t funny. It was completely misinterpreted. Everything is on Katya’s social networks. She talked about it. She explained that it was a joke. She wasn’t offended at all. She doesn’t feel uncomfortable.

“We have a brilliant friendship, an absolutely close friendship, and I’m sorry if anyone was offended by that, but it was a joke and yes, that’s all there is, there’s no real story, really.

“And I feel weird apologizing because I feel like I didn’t really do anything.”

Meanwhile, Katya, 35, said: “Happy Sunday everyone. Now, I need to make something very clear. The hand incident that happened on Saturday night was an inside joke – very silly, very silly – between Wynne and me.

“So even the idea that this made me uncomfortable or offended me in any way is complete nonsense.

“It’s quite absurd, actually. Now, can we focus on how brilliantly he’s doing and what an incredible dancer he’s becoming?”

It comes amid heightened scrutiny of the popular BBC One dance show, after celebrities spoke openly about their treatment on the long-running series, which is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The pair achieved the highest score to date on Saturday, with the judges giving 34 points for the tango.