Strictly’s Sarah Hadland gives her verdict on Katya Jones and Wynne Evans’ hand drama

What did you miss?

Sarah Hadland weighed in on Katya Jones and Wynne Evans’ “hand joke” drama, saying you have to be yourself on Strictly Come Dancing and hope viewers identify with you.

The actress and her dance partner Vito Coppola were asked by This Morning if Jones and Evans had become insecure due to the harsh criticism they faced on TV, but they said they tried not to think about it too much.

Hadland added that she was stopped in the broccoli aisle of the supermarket by a Strictly fan who confronted her about her gaps.

What, how and why?

Katya Jones and Wynne Evans found themselves at the center of the latest Strictly scandal this week as viewers saw Jones seemingly push away her partner’s wandering hand during a live show before refusing to give him a high-five.

The pair dismissed it as an inside joke that didn’t translate well on screen, and now Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola have told This Morning how the rigorous casting scrutiny affected them.

Asked by presenter Ben Shephard if the drama of Saturday’s show had made them unsure about how they came across, Hadland said: “I think, especially on a show like Strictly, when there’s so much attention, you just have to fully embrace it .” Be yourself and keep doing that.

Read more: Strictly Come Dancing

“I wouldn’t be able to maintain anything that wasn’t myself, so you just have to be who you are, react how you would react to things, and that’s all you can do and hope that people can identify with it and appreciate it.”

Professional dancer Coppola, the show’s reigning champion, agreed: “The key is to be yourself. I prank Sarah all the time.”

The couple also laughed about Hadland’s co-star Miranda Hart giving them advice about their routines every week.

Coppola said, “I’m taking all of Miranda’s advice and working on it.”

Hadland added: “She’s like our second coach, so she comes in at the end to tie up any loose ends and make sure Vito is completely on track.”

What else did Sarah Hadland say about the pressure of Strictly?

Although Hadland and Coppola have scored some high scores so far, the Miranda star admitted she was still in the crosshairs of opinionated viewers – including one who stalked her in the supermarket produce aisle.

She said: “Everyone has an opinion. I was at the grocery store the other day and someone started talking to me about my gaps. Excuse me, I’m just trying to pick my broccoli with a single stalk and they’re like oh, the gaps.” . I’m sorry?

“That’s what’s so special about Strictly. People love the show so much and they love the knowledge of phrasing.”

On Saturday, Hadland was praised by judge Anton Du Beke for mastering the “toughest move ever attempted on Strictly”, but revealed she still didn’t know which part of the routine he was referring to.

She said: “I didn’t know what it was and at first I thought, is he being sarcastic? … Just to be clear, I still don’t know what it is.”

This Morning airs weekdays at 10am on ITV1.