During the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing Halloween special, viewers were left scratching their heads as Wynne Evans and Katya Jones seemed to be mysteriously missing for a large part of the show.
The 52-year-old opera singer was briefly seen dressed as a devil with Katya in a coordinating costume during the introduction by hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
However, after their initial appearance, the pair seemed to disappear for over half an hour, not joining Claudia and the other contestants on the usual elevated platform. This absence caught the attention of eagle-eyed fans, with one taking to Twitter to ask, “Where’s Katya and Wynne?”
Another fan expressed confusion online, asking, “Is Wynne not allowed to be with Claudia and the other contestants at the top of the stairs? I have not seen him there all show.”
A third viewer speculated: “Are they deliberately keeping Wynne and Katya away from the cameras.”
Wynne and Katya eventually returned to perform their Salsa, earning 31 points before vanishing again. Despite viewers’ concerns, the BBC confirmed to The Sun that Wynne was indeed present in the ‘Clauditorium’, as reported by Birmingham Live.
The duo were finally spotted again in the background around 7:40pm while Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu were speaking with Claudia.
After delivering a lively performance, an out-of-breath Wynne humorously asked Tess Daly to “crack on without me”.
Craig Revel Horwood critiqued the performance, noting that the dance “was a little bit too wide” and the hips “lacked fluidity from move to move.” However, he also praised, saying, “I love, love, loved those lifts,” and complimenting the contestant, “You are a born entertainer.”
Motsi Mabuse chimed in with her own warm words: “If today was Christmas and they asked what I wanted for Christmas, ‘I’d say, ‘Wynne dancing every morning’, you are my sunshine. I adore you on the dance floor.”
Shirley Ballas joined in with praise for Wynne and offered advice on improving his posture for future dances.
Discussing his experience, Wynne admitted to Claudia that he found the lifts challenging during rehearsals, saying, “My back had gone, my shoulders had gone, I felt like some kind of powerlifter,” but concluded with a positive note: “Well worth it though, amazing.”
Strictly Come Dancing returns tonight at 7.20pm on BBC One.