Wynne Evans broke down in tears during his first TV appearance in the wake of his Strictly scandal as he revealed the ordeal left him suicidal.
The Strictly contestant, 53, was visibly emotional as he appeared on ITV’s This Morning for his first live interview since making a controversial joke during his time preparing for the Strictly tour.
In January, Wynne – who is known for the Go Compare ads – was caught on camera seemingly suggesting a three-way sex session with presenter and Strictly professional Janette Manrara.
The comment came at a photocall to launch the Strictly live tour and swiftly earned a rebuke from BBC bosses who told him: ‘We will not tolerate such behaviour.’
Wynne described how this experience had left him ‘at the darkest point of his life’ and on 24/7 suicide watch.
He told presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard: ‘I’ve had clinical depression since 2016. It took me into the darkest spot of my life.
‘When the headlines keep coming and coming and coming. I was at my lowest ebb, I wanted to end my life. I would have if I hadn’t been surrounded by people.
Wynne began to hold back tears and became visibly choked up as he recalled telling his girlfriend: ‘I have to kill myself’ in the wake of the media coverage surrounding the scandal earlier this year.
Wynne Evans has criticised the BBC’s duty of care during his first TV appearance since he was suspended from his Radio Wales show last month
Wynne Evans was axed by the BBC following his controversial ‘spit roast’ comment(seen with partner Katya Jones)
The opera singer confirmed they will not be renewing his one-year rolling contract with his Radio Wales show last month
The opera singer went on to reveal he had not been contacted by the BBC since his departure and claimed he was not made aware of any support available to him.
He said: ‘I haven’t heard from the BBC since I got suspended, personally, they’ve only spoke to my lawyers.
‘I just think that sometimes mental health is talked about and sometimes I fear that it’s lip service that they give.
‘Mental health is still a really grey area – where we can say we’ve got that policy in place, but actually you need to look after people with mental health issues.
‘Because in the flip of a light switch, the light can go out.’
Responding to Wynne’s claims, the BBC said: ‘We provided comprehensive duty of care for Wynne that included support by wellbeing professionals.
‘He was also provided with direct access to designated contact at the BBC, which was available to assist him at anytime and he has been offered continued support since his contract with the BBC concluded.’
Wynne said he was not aware of this support from the BBC.
Wynne poses with the rest of the cast of the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour 2025 during a photocall at the Utilita Arena Birmingham
Wynne previously explained his initial reaction to finding out he had offended someone was ‘Oh God, I’m so sorry’ but this was taken as a formal apology by the press team. Wynne said the apology ‘validated the story’ and ‘made it look worse’.
Wynne then said he was placed on 24/7 suicide watch by a crisis team after the saga which has completely derailed his career.
The star also explained that he only found out he had been fired from Strictly after he read about it in the newspaper.
He described the past few months as ‘truly awful’ and insisted that he was not a misogynist or a bad person.
In January, Wynne- who is known for the Go Compare ads – was caught on camera seemingly suggesting a three-way sex session with presenter and Strictly professional Janette Manrara.
The comment came at a photocall to launch the Strictly live tour and swiftly earned a rebuke from BBC bosses who told him: ‘We will not tolerate such behaviour.’
In May Wynne broke his silence on his controversial ‘spit roast’ comment as he claimed he was forced to apologise.
He denied it was a sexual jibe about a female presenter and insisted he used the term ‘spit roast’ as a nickname for fellow contestant Jamie Borthwick.
Wynne took to Instagram in May as he admitted his heart was broken following the decision of BBC bosses
He told The Sun: ‘It’s been heartbreaking. ‘Spit-roast boy’ was a nickname we all gave Jamie Borthwick because he could contort his legs over his head like a spit-roast chicken.
‘I would be the first to apologise if I had used it in the double meaning of that word.
‘But it absolutely wasn’t meant sexually – and the fact I used ‘boy’, all right it’s nuanced, but it shows I was talking to Jamie, NOT Janette.’
An apology was released on Wynne’s behalf and he was subsequently suspended from Strictly Come Dancing’s live tour.
Wynne has claimed he did not see the statement before it was put out. It read: ‘My language was inappropriate and unacceptable for which I sincerely apologise.’
In May, Wynne confirmed he had been axed by the BBC following his controversial ‘spit roast’ comment that left his career in tatters.
The opera singer confirmed they will not be renewing his one-year rolling contract following a four-month investigation after the inappropriate comments made during his time on Strictly.
