STRICTLY Come Dancing star Wynne Evans amassed a huge fortune before landing his big money BBC deal.
The Welsh opera star, 52, is best known for playing a moustachioed soprano Gio Compario in financial comparison website Go Compare’s TV ads.
Wynne Evans has a comfortable £761,000 fortune in the bank[/caption]
BBC bosses hauled in Strictly’s Wynne and Katya Jones over Saturday night’s ‘grope’ shock[/caption]
He’s also a distinguished singer who performs all over the world and has close ties with the Welsh National Opera, having performed in numerous classic roles from Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore to Jaquino in Leonore.
Wynne’s lucrative career has seen his self-titled limited business rack up an impressive £761,000 in capital and reserves.
The latest filings to Companies House, which were submitted earlier this year, show its coffers have swollen by just over £150,000 in one year.
Strictly competitors each get a flat rate of £25,000 for signing up to the show, regardless of their fame, but that can increase to up to £50,000 depending on how far they progress in the competition.
Success on the show often leads to money-spinning opportunities elsewhere and is perfect for growing a celeb’s profile.
Earlier this week we revealed Wynne and his professional dance partner Katya Jones have been rapped over the knuckles by BBC bosses for a viral incident that happened during Saturday night’s broadcast.
Show veteran Katya, 35, was seen removing Wynne’s hand as it slid further round her stomach in the section of Strictly when co-host Claudia Winkleman talks about what’s coming up next.
That came minutes after he was seen holding his arms up for a double high five from Katya, only for her to reject him, looking disgusted.
On Monday night’s BBC Two Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two, Katya insisted that the controversy had overshadowed their performance “for absolutely no reason”.
She added: “Quite frankly I actually can’t bear sitting here watching this man being portrayed as someone he’s not.
“In fact it couldn’t be further away from the truth.
“So I have to make absolutely clear, that this whole incident with the hand and the high five on Saturday night, it was an inside joke between Wynne and I.
“Was it a silly joke? Yes. Was it a bad joke? Yes.
“However, it was a joke and even the idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is totally nonsense.
“Those that have doubts, you guys have got it wrong.
“So hopefully this will be the end of it.”
Katya was then seen removing Wynne’s hand[/caption]
Earlier in the night Katya was seen denying Wynne a high five[/caption]
Wynne added: “I’ve watched it back and I can see how people might have misinterpreted it.”
The controversy is the last thing the beleaguered corporation wanted after a summer of scandal which saw pros Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima leave the show amid allegations of bad behaviour.
Earlier yesterday, a TV insider said: “Strictly wanted to draw a line under one of the most troubling periods in the programme’s history, which had viewers deeply suspicious about what went on behind the scenes of the show.
“Allegations of inappropriate physical and sexual behaviour seemed to take some of the shine off the dance contest and bosses were looking forward to restoring the glitz and fun.
“Now there’s this bizarre incident which seems to suggest some tension between Wynne and Katya, not to mention inappropriate touching.
“The rap over the knuckles from Strictly was informal and there aren’t any plans to take any further action against them.
“But ultimately, amid all the controversy, viewers are left not knowing quite what to think.”
Behind the scenes, Beeb bosses are said to be furious about the incident, but seem to believe Katya and Wynne’s explanation that it was a gag both were complicit in.
On Sunday Katya and Wynne made a joint online video in which they apologised for what happened.
During it, Katya said: “We were just messing around in the Clauditorium and just want to say sorry.”
Strictly 2024 pairings
Here’s who is matched with who this series…
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell
Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas
JB Gill and Amy Dowden MBE
Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe
Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk
Paul Merson and Karen Hauer
Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał
Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez
Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec
Tom Dean MBE and Nadiya Bychkova
Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones
Sam Quek MBE and Nikita Kuzmin
Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola
Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu
Wynne Evans and Katya Jones
