Strictly Come Dancing star Seann Walsh has said he is "very sorry" but insists he is "not the person I'm being portrayed as" after being caught on camera kissing his dance partner Katya Jones.

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The comedian was photographed snogging his married pro partner Jones in the street in photos that were made public on Sunday. The scandal led Walsh's girlfriend Rebecca Humphries to end their relationship.

During a brief appearance on BBC2's It Takes Two on Wednesday, the pair joined Zoë Ball to discuss the controversy.

Opening the segment, Ball said: "On It Takes Two we like to talk about the dancing, but that has been somewhat overshadowed by events this week. You've both apologised for your behaviour, is there anything else that either of you would like to say?"

An emotional Walsh responded: "I think that, obviously I'm sorry, for the hurt that I've caused, we were getting on well, we were having fun, we had a couple of drinks and we made a huge mistake. I regret it deeply."

He and Jones had previously apologised on Twitter for their "one-off mistake," with Jones – who is married to fellow Strictly professional dancer Neil Jones – writing: "I love my husband and we are very happy together, this is not a reflection on our relationship."

On It Takes Two, she added: "Obviously I apologised and I can't apologise enough to everyone it hurt and involved. But the main thing for me, me and Neil are absolutely fine, and that's what matters to me the most right now, and focusing on my job and doing it as professionally as I can."

Walsh's now ex-girlfriend, the actress Rebecca Humphries, reacted to the photos by sharing a public statement announcing she was leaving him and accusing him of "controlling" behaviour.

She wrote: "It was my birthday. I was alone at home when Sean texted at 10pm saying the two of them were going for one innocent drink. We spoke and I told him, not for the first time, that his actions over the last three weeks had led me to believe something inappropriate was going on."

Rebecca Humphries and Seann Walsh, Getty

Humphries stated that he "aggressively, and repeatedly, called me a psycho/nuts/mental" if she voiced suspicions or questioned his "inappropriate, hurtful behaviour."

Responding to that statement on It Takes Two, Walsh said: "I think first of all, I would rather not be having to address this publicly, but I feel like I have to.

"I made a mistake which I'm very sorry for, I'm sorry for the hurt that I've caused. You never think about the extent of the damage that you're going to do in a moment of – a mistake that you made."

He added: "I'm not perfect, far from it. Our relationship wasn't perfect. That doesn't mean that I wanted it to end the way that it finally did, and I'm very sorry for that.

"I feel it's also important for me to say that the people that know me the most, that love me, they know that I am not the person I am being portrayed as. I'm still sorry for what I did but it's very important for me to get that out there."

Despite the scandal, the duo plan to stay on Strictly and continue dancing together. They are set to perform a Charleston on Saturday's show to the song Bills By LunchMoney Lewis.

Bringing the interview to a close, Jones said they were "still looking forward to Saturday and doing that Charleston as best as we can, really."

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Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday nights on BBC1


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Eleanor Bley GriffithsDrama Editor, RadioTimes.com
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