Women’s Aid slams the BBC over scandal at the hands of Wynne Evans and Katya Jones as they insist “inappropriate behavior is no laughing matter”, after the pair said it was “an inside joke”.

Domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid has hit out at the BBC following the Wynne Evans and Katya Jones ‘hand pat’ scandal.

The pair have come under fire this week after defending an awkward exchange during Saturday’s show, when Katya removed her hand from his waist and suppressed a high five.

Both Wynne and Katya have insisted that an awkward “hand incident” was the result of an unexplained “joke”, with the BBC later confirming that “Katya was not offended” and “welfare and production teams have registered” with both.

However, Women’s Aid has criticized the couple’s response, insisting that “inappropriate behavior towards women is no laughing matter”.

In a statement to The Sun, they said: “With an epidemic of misogyny and violence against women and girls in the UK, we need a media culture where women feel safe to speak out, where sexually inappropriate behavior is not trivialized or kidding”.

Domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid has slammed the BBC following the Wynne Evans and Katya Jones “hand-covering” scandal.

The pair have come under fire this week after defending an awkward exchange during Saturday’s show, when Katya removed her hand from his waist and high-fived him.

“It’s important to challenge inappropriate ‘jokes’ so we don’t continue to normalize toxic attitudes that breed these forms of gender abuse.”

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Wynne Evans, Katya Jones and the BBC for comment.

Wynne, who was once the favorite for the Glitterball trophy, is now in danger of being sent off at odds of 5/1 to be sent packing.

Fans have also claimed to have figured out the source of Wynne and Katya’s inside joke, with many sharing their thoughts with X on what the joke might be.

One person posted: “One explanation I was given was that they were making fun of other couples for all their hugging and kissing so they can’t tell what the joke was.”

Others added: “I actually think the Katya and Wynne drama was a silly joke, you could tell the way she was laughing, it was like she told an inside joke”;

“I looked again: Katya was constantly touching Wynne while they were being given feedback. She could have held her hand if there was a problem between them. Wynne was laughing during the hand incident, which led me to believe that it was a joke between them’;

“I don’t know any of them, but if Katya says it was a joke then maybe it was. Wynne got punched in the stomach by Neil on her way to talk to Claudia and that was clearly a joke’;

The couple have insisted an awkward “hand incident” was the result of an unexplained “joke”, but Women’s Aid has said “inappropriate behavior is no laughing matter”.

Fans now think they have it all figured out, with many sharing their thoughts with X on what the joke could be.

Katya and Wynne: The Elusive High 5. I think it was a private joke. The hand motion is probably not what it seems. Maybe W’s hand slipped unintentionally and K was moving it back to avoid all this drama. I think everyone needs to chill out and stop looking for drama;’

Katia has defended his famous partner, declaring he has been “portrayed as someone he’s not” as the couple insist their “errant hand” incident was a silly prank.

In Monday evening’s television appearance, Wynne admitted that he had seen the footage of the incident and confessed: “I can see how people might have misinterpreted it.”

Clinging to her arm, Katya said she “can’t stand” the abuse her co-star is receiving and empathised that there was no foul play.

She said: “The idea that it made me feel uncomfortable or offended in any way is complete nonsense, and for the doubters, you’re wrong. So I hope that’s the end of it, and you keep making me smile .

“I can’t sit here and watch this man portray himself as someone he’s not. In fact, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

“So I have to make it absolutely clear that this whole incident, with the hand and the high five on Saturday night, was an inside joke between Wynne and I. Was it a silly joke? Yes, it was a bad joke ?Yes.

The incident caused such concern among senior BBC officials, who have spent months fighting backfires over allegations of misconduct in previous series, that a welfare inquiry was launched.