SINGER Wynne Evans has revealed he tried to kill himself after being booted off the Strictly Come Dancing tour.
The opera singer, 53, also known for the Go Compare insurance ads, told Good Morning Britain yesterday that being fired in May damaged his mental health.
He said: “I went on a dancing show and ended up trying to take my own life.
“Somebody rang an ambulance and, luckily for me, I’m here today.”
Evans apologised for the “inappropriate language” that led to him being dropped from the tour.
He also admitted putting his arm around dancer Katya Jones’ waist on Strictly last October was a mistake.
He said: “It does look creepy and I apologise for that.
“What happened was… Katya said to me, ‘look let’s get down the front, you put your hand on my waist, I’ll move it back, we’ll see if anyone notices’.
“It was as simple as that, a body language experiment, and of course it was naive of me, I hadn’t realised, I’ve never lived in this world before where everybody kind of just looks at everything you do.
“Of course it looked weird on the TV, it looked really, really odd, when I watch it back now I’m like ‘oh no’, but it was just messing around in the ‘Claudatorium’, and it was hijinks, if you like.”
Wynne said last year: “I’ve agreed with the BBC that l’ll take some time out from my radio show and the Strictly Live tour, as well as my other public commitments, to prioritise my wellbeing.
“I am deeply sorry for the pain my inappropriate actions have caused, and plan to take this time for self-reflection.
“Apologies to those I won’t get to see at the remaining performances and I’m grateful to my fellow tour gang for all the amazing support they have given me.”
How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
