The nation knows him as the moustachioed star of the GoCompare television adverts, all smiles and operatic baritones.
But for Wynne Evans, looking in the mirror has not always been easy.
At his peak he weighed 24st and was far from happy with his appearance. But, after losing an astonishing 7st in the past year – what he modestly describes as ‘a bit of timber’ – he is now embracing his gruelling dance training sessions for the new series of Strictly, as he makes a determined bid to win the famous glitterball trophy with his dance partner Katya Jones.
And, as the 52-year-old tells the Mail, even more weight has fallen off since signing up for the BBC One dance show.
‘I’m more body confident. Looking in the mirror all day is a bit odd for me, because the mirror is something I always try to avoid,’ Wynne said.
Wynne Evans, a surprising favourite for BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing with dancing partner Katya Jones
Wynne Jones pictured as the chubby opera singer for the Go Compare UK television adverts
‘But I’m really enjoying it. I haven’t seen my neck in a long time. I feel like a giraffe!’
He puts his weight loss down to a ÂcÂalorie-controlled diet, long walks with his new love, events manager Liz Brookes, 50, and – of course – the Âphysical demands of Strictly.
The warm and ebullient Wynne has become another unexpected saviour of this year’s series, as it began under the dark cloud of the fallout between Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington and professional dancer Giovanni Pernice.
Not only did Wynne score high on the leaderboard last week, but head judge Shirley Ballas has labelled him her ‘snuggle bunny’, and he left the viewers in fits of giggles after kissing the frosty Craig Revel Horwood for giving him some rare positive feedback. ‘You have command, control and you were Âleading that dance,’ he told Wynne.
Ballas was on her feet after he and Katya finished their Viennese waltz, and the pair were awarded 30 out of 40 points by the judges.
Not bad for the ‘portly, balding middle-aged father’ – Wynne’s words, not mine.
His surprising rhythm and charm have quickly made him a favourite – if perhaps an unlikely one – to win. He, meanwhile, credits his high scores to the ‘firm but fair’ Katya whom, he says, has ‘whipped him into shape’.
The pair are based in Cardiff from Mondays to Thursdays, so Wynne can broadcast his morning radio show. She ‘keeps him going’ he says. ‘It’s about 50 per cent dancing and 50 per cent counselling. She’s almost 20 years younger than me, and she seems 20 years wiser than I am.’
Not only did Wynne score high on the leaderboard last week, but head judge Shirley Ballas has labelled him her ‘snuggle bunny’
Wynne, who hosts a morning radio show on BBC Wales, has now carved himself out a new role as a matchmaker. (Wynne Evans performs during the Castle Howard Proms event)
Katya has been single since she split with fellow professional dancer Neil Jones in 2019 after being caught by a red-top newspaper kissing her celebrity Âcontestant Seann Walsh.
Wynne, who hosts a morning radio show on BBC Wales, has now carved himself out a new role as her matchmaker and has already taken Katya out in Cardiff to help her find a man.
‘I’m trying to find her a Welsh bloke,’ he says. ‘I’ve taken her to some nice places, I took her to the Rum & Fizz cocktail bar and The City Arms,’ which is popular with local rugby players.
Katya has also joined Wynne at his home where she has met his children, girlfriend, brothers and friends. ‘We had a big launch party and she met everybody then. Katya and Tal, my son, had a dance. We had a bit of a boogie in the kitchen and it was fun,’ he says.
She even joins him on his radio show every Wednesday, and he is trying to teach the Russian-born dancer some Welsh phrases.
But the couple have a work-hard, play-hard mentality which, Wynne admits, has taken its toll on him. The singer’s body is still adapting to the long days and hours of exercise.
Wynne says: ‘I went to the toilet the other night, and my girlfriend said to me, what’s wrong with you? Because I was just shuffling [across the floor]. I was like, ‘Oh, my body is getting used to it.’
But even when he is exhausted, his dance partner motivates him to carry on. ‘Katya will see me flagging and say, ‘Come on, come on. We have got to keep going’,’ he says. ‘And I find that useful.’
For all the jokes on Strictly, and his endearing bumptious persona in his TV adverts for the insurance comparison site GoCompare, Wynne has not always been a ray of sunshine
The pair, he says, are determined to win. Yet the hard work ethic of Strictly is something for which the BBC has found itself in hot water following the Abbington/Pernice saga. The BBC apologised to Abbington earlier this week, despite upholding just six out of 17 of her complaints.
Her actions have prompted bosses to appoint chaperones in the training rooms. But what exactly does that mean?
‘We haven’t got a chaperone. We have ‘rehearsal room researchers’,’ says Katya. ‘They have the worst job because it’s so boring.’
Wynne adds: ‘They generally rotate. They usually stay a week with us in Cardiff, and then move on somewhere else. And then we’ll get another one next week.’
After a successful samba in the first week and last Saturday’s Viennese waltz, Wynne is set to take on the cha cha cha in tonight’s movie week-themed show.
He revealed to the Mail that he will be donning tights, heels and a skirt to transform into Hollywood’s Mrs Doubtfire. ‘I don’t feel like the joker, but I think we have a sense of humour, and it would be wrong not to bring that into our dancing,’ he says.
For all the jokes on Strictly, and his endearing bumptious persona in his TV adverts for the insurance comparison site GoCompare, Wynne has not always been a ray of sunshine.
He has spoken movingly about his mental health struggles Âfollowing the end of his 17-year marriage in 2016 to Tanwen, mother of their children, daughter Ismay, 22, and son Taliesin, 20.
If Wynne continues in the Âcompetition, he anticipates more encouraging voice notes from Joanna
His surprising rhythm and charm have quickly made him a favourite – if perhaps an unlikely one – to win. (Wynne Evans appearing on ITV’s This Morning)
‘It was almost like grief, but you can’t grieve for somebody that’s still there,’ he has said.
‘So it really affected my mental health, my confidence and my ego – it totally changed me as a Âperson. I had very dark thoughts and days. I would think about [suicide]… I couldn’t see a way out; I couldn’t see a way of ever being happy again.’
As his mental health reached ‘rock bottom’, his weight ballooned to 24 st. After seeking psychiatric help, he was prescribed antidepressants and embraced a new physical regime – completing 10,000 steps a day, and buying an exercise bike and treadmill.
It’s clear that he has thrived on the support of family and friends – including fellow Welsh celebrity Joanna Page, star of Gavin & ÂStacey, who has pulled out all the stops, even taking a break from filming the comedy’s finale episode to be at Strictly’s first show.
And last week, when Wynne finished his performance, he returned to his phone to find she had Âbombarded him with messages.
‘That’s what I come back to every single week, a load of voice messages from Jo,’ Wynne says. ‘She says things like, ‘Oh my God, you’re walking down the stairs now’, ‘Oh, you did really well.’ ‘That was a good joke. Well done.’ She was doing live commentary.’
If Wynne continues in the Âcompetition, he anticipates more encouraging voice notes from Joanna. But, he admits, next year he thinks he will be the one sending her the messages. He said: ‘I’d love her to do it. She’d be great. She’s quite a nice mover. I would be in the audience every week.’
