Strictly’s Wynne Evans laughs off controversy by dressing as the DEVIL for Halloween week – but fans claim he was ‘missing’ for most of the episode

Strictly Come Dancing viewers claim Wynne Evans went ‘missing’ for most of Saturday’s Halloween special as he laughed off the recent controversy by dressing up as the devil.

The Welsh star, 52, who recently got caught up in one ‘wandering hand’ incidenttransformed into a red devil together with partner Katya Jones.

As the spooky special kicked off, hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman introduced both the couples and the judges, and Wynne was seen in the dazzling red costume, complete with red devil horns.

However, viewers quickly noticed that Wynne and Katya disappeared for more than 30 minutes because they did not appear on the elevated platform with Claudia and the other celebrities.

“Where weren’t Wynne and Katya seen with Claudia throughout the episode; Where are Katya and Wyn?; Are they deliberately keeping Wynne & Katya away from the cameras?;

‘Isn’t Wynne allowed to stand at the top of the stairs with Claudia and the other participants? I didn’t see him there the whole show.’

Wynne and Katya finally appeared to perform their Salsa, earning a total of 31 points before disappearing again.

When MailOnline contacted BBC representatives they insisted that Wynne and Katya were in the ‘Clauditorium’ for the entire show, despite fans not seeing him.

It comes after Wynne found himself in further controversy after a ‘vulgar’ joke he allegedly made behind the scenes was ‘leaked’.

The opera singer is said to have joked that his double chin resembled the female genitals when he had his make-up done backstage.

Insiders claim Wynne made the distasteful joke ahead of the BBC competition’s glitzy launch show and said it was said in a private conversation with a make-up artist.

A source said The mirror: ‘It was a bit of an ordinary dad joke.’

The publication states that there was at least one other person in the room at the time, adding that the makeup artist was not offended by Wynne’s joke.

It is said that although formal complaints were made, staff members were not happy about them.

The insider added, “Wynne obviously meant no offense, but you have to be a little careful these days.”

A friend of Wynne reportedly claimed that Wynne’s cheeky comment was “a bit of self-deprecating humor,” which he said confidentially to the makeup artist while others were present.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Strictly and Wynne for comment.

The alleged prank came weeks before the Welsh singer and actor became embroiled in a ‘wandering hand’ incident with his professional partner Katya Jones.

Viewers saw the moment Katya removed Wynne’s hand from her waist and rebuffed his attempt at a high-five with her.

The dance partners had defended their awkward altercation during a live show a week ago.

However, it has since been reported that the BBC gave the pair an extra chaperone as a result.

The Sun reported that they had extra eyes on them and the entire crew and staff were asked to be vigilant due to the incident while the next episode was filmed.

A source said: ‘Instead of just one they each had an attendant and the whole crew was generally on high alert.

“It was considered a way to prevent other silly pranks, but also to protect Katya if Wynne’s hip grab wasn’t the prank they insisted it was and was indeed a groping.

“Regardless, the bosses felt it would be wise to put extra eyes on them to prevent more crimes.”

The BBC was contacted by MailOnline at the time for comment.

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

Katya had confirmed that she had not felt uncomfortable and no further action was taken.

Despite this, the publication claims that Wynne and Katya “barely spent time together off camera” on Saturday.

Katya has defended her celebrity partner, stating he has been ‘portrayed as someone he is not’ as the pair insist his ‘wandering hand’ incident was a lame joke.

During last week’s It Takes Two, Wynne admitted to rewatching footage of the incident and confessed, “I understand how people misinterpreted it.”

But fans still need convincing and were left cringing on Saturday by Wynne and Katya’s ‘awkward’ return to the dance floor.

The pair performed a quick move while trying to shake off the viral moment when Katya Wynne’s hand moved from her waist, cutting off his attempt at a high-five with her.

Fans were left with a sour taste in their mouths from the couple’s VT before they took to the floor and overly called it “wholesome” and “fun” in an attempt to put the rumors of their feud to bed.