Wynne Evans’ £200,000-a-year function at GoCompare hangs within the stability as bosses stay silent on sacking the singer after he steps again from Strictly Come Dancing tour over crude sexual comment
GoCompare has refused to say whether they are going to sack Wynne Evans from his £200,000-a-year role, as backlash over his crude sexual remark intensified today.
The under-fire opera singer, who turned 53 on Monday, was recorded earlier this month crudely suggesting a three-way sex session with Strictly presenter Janette Manrara, using the hugely demeaning term ‘spit roast’.
The shocking comment was captured on camera by a reporter for The Mail on Sunday and exposed on Saturday evening – sparking a huge backlash against Evans.
He has since withdrawn from the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing tour over the vile remark made during his photo call with fellow Strictly stars.
And in a fresh blow, the Welshman has reportedly split from his girlfriend after she was left ‘humiliated’ by the TV star’s scandal.
Breaking his silence, Evans said in a statement he had agreed with the BBC to ‘take some time out’ from his radio show and the Strictly live tour ‘to prioritise my wellbeing’.
Sources last night claimed that behind the scenes, the Welsh tenor is now desperately ‘fighting to save his £1million GoCompare job and new travel series’.
The singing star has been the face of Go Compare since 2009, with adverts appearing nationwide on TV. The insurance comparison website has so far refused to comment on the scandal raging around Evans.
Wynne is trying to salvage his infamous spot with Go Compare, whom he has worked with since 2009, as he risks losing his six-figure salary
It comes after the opera singer was filmed making an grossly offensive sexual comment about one of its Strictly co-stars, Janette Manrar (he is pictured on tour with partner Katya Jones)
Evans was caught on film by The Mail on Sunday making a vile sexual comment about It Takes Two presenter Ms Manrara during a photo call to launch the tour
But according to The Sun, bosses from the firm ‘are understood to have held crisis meetings about their star’s future’.
A source told the publication: ‘His deal with them hangs by a thread. Wynne is so popular with viewers, so it will be a very tough call, but the sense is it is hard to keep him on.’
The Welshman also faces pressure to shelve his new TV series Wynne & Joanna: All At Sea, which he stars alongside Gavin & Stacey actress Joanna Page.
MailOnline have contacted Wynne’s representatives for a comment, as well as GoCompare for a statement.
GoCompare was founded by female entrepreneur Hayley Parsons from her kitchen table back in 2008.
Within eight years, the married mother-of-two’s firm had ballooned to a multi-million juggernaut, before she sold off all her shares for a staggering £44million.
Ms Parsons, who left school without any qualifications, was proud of her Welsh roots and made a point of having GoCompare’s HQ there, in Newport.
The site stood out from its rivals thanks to TV commercials featuring character Gio Compario. The idea was the brainchild of husband and wife advertising team, Sian Vickers and Chris Wilkins, who came out of retirement to create the concept.
GoCompare’s TV commercials featuring character Gio Compario (pictured)
GoCompare was founded by Hayley Parsons (pictured) from her kitchen table back in 2008. She insisted the character was played by a Welsh singer, which led to Evan’s being hired
Evans, 53, is now allegedly ‘fighting to save his £1million Go Compare job and new travel series’ after he withdrew from the 2025 Strictly Come Dancing tour on Tuesday
But Ms Parsons insisted that the firm used a Welsh singer to belt out the company’s ear-splitting anthem – which led to them hiring Wynne Evans.
‘They auditioned a number of people but the first person they saw was Wynne. As soon as I saw him I knew he was the one for me, and Hayley always gets what she wants,’ Ms Parsons previously said.
It’s unclear whether Evans will remain the face of the insurance comparison firm.
The drama for the 53-year-old continued on Monday night with the decision to air his new BBC travel show All At Sea sparking fierce backlash.
An insider told The Mirror as the show aired’ that the timing of this is deeply unfortunate…the comments were idiotic and have clearly overshadowed the first episode. What on earth was he thinking?’
Viewers questioned why his show wasn’t postponed following his latest Strictly Come Dancing scandal.
Others demanded Wynne to ‘get off the telly’ in a furious rant on X amid the backlash surrounding an vile sexual remark.
The fresh blow comes as he reportedly split from his girlfriend after she was left ‘humiliated’ by his latest scandal (pictured)
Wynne has also separated from his girlfriend, events manager Liz Brookes, 50, who he began dating in the spring of last year following the break up of his 16-year marriage
Angry viewers wrote on X during his show: ‘Why are we being forced to endure Wynne Evans? Everyone hates the go compare ads but bbc seem determined to make him a thing. Whoever runs their old white man department needs a gentle chat.’
Another added: ‘Just a thought BBC, but maybe this Wynne Evans #AllAtSea prime time claptrap could have been postponed for a while?’.
‘They’ve taken Wynne Evans off air for a joke, but this will be glossed over with likely no apology,’ a third said.
On Tuesday, the humiliation for the opera singer deepened further amid claims his girlfriend and manager, Liz Brooke, 50, had dumped him.
The pair had begun dating in the spring of last year following the break up of his 16 year marriage.
It comes after the Welsh star, famed for playing a portly Italian opera singer in a string of insurance ads for Go Compare, confirmed his departure from the Strictly live tour in a grovelling statement
However, according to The Sun, she was ‘humiliated’ by his scandals on the show last year – notably his awkward ‘hand wandering’ moment with dance partner Katya Jones (pictured with Katya during one of his last tour appearances at Glasgow Hydro on Sunday)
Despite his tumultous time on Strictly, Liz supported Wynne throughout his time on the show and was often spotted cheering him on from the audience and sharing a sweet snap of them together, where she gushed she was ‘proud’ of him.
However, according to The Sun, she was ‘humiliated’ by his scandals on the show last year – notably his awkward ‘hand wandering’ moment with dance partner Katya Jones.
A TV insider has claimed that when the new broke about his latest X-rated remark, she was ‘relieved’ that they had split.
They told the publication: ‘Although she loyally stood by him in public, Liz was humiliated by what happened when he was on Strictly. She always knew he was a bit old school, and actually liked the fact he seemed rough round the edges. She just assumed it was all part of his charm.
