Seann Walsh Gets Grilled About Katya Jones Kiss Drama In First Interview Since Strictly

He also spoke for the first time about Rebecca Humphries' infamous Twitter statement.

Comedian Seann Walsh has reflected on the drama that surrounded his kiss with former Strictly Come Dancing partner Katya Jones in his first interview since the series ended.

Last year, Seann and Katya found themselves at the centre of a media storm when they were caught on camera kissing after a night out, despite both having been in relationships at the time.

During an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, Seann discussed the media furore that ensued, branding his actions “stupid”, “selfish” and “hurtful”, and revealing he retreated to LA shortly after to get out of the spotlight.

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Seann Walsh on The Jonathan Ross Show
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Saying he’ll “always be sorry” about what transpired, Seann said: “I think when it all blew up, I don’t think I reacted in the correct manner.  I didn’t know what to do, it was huge.

“It has been some time since then, I have had a lot of time to look at my actions, look at my behaviour and take responsibility as well. I think when you have gone through something like that, you end up thinking in clichés, like ‘if I could go back in time, I’d behave differently and treat her differently’ but unfortunately all I can be is as sorry as I am and as regretful as I am.”

Describing ex-girlfriend Rebecca Humphries as someone he “cared about and respected” and continues to “care about and respect”, he continued: “She didn’t sign up to [the media storm], Rebecca didn’t sign up to that, I did. I think that it’s all my fault and the mess, the size of it, that’s all my fault. I take responsibility for that.”

Seann also spoke about the statement Rebecca put out at the height of the scandal, in which she described his behaviour as “unacceptable” and revealed that when she’d questioned him about whether anything was going on with Katya, he’d branded her a “psycho”.

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Seann Walsh and ex-girlfriend Rebecca Humphries
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“When I first saw that statement it was so huge,” he recalled. “And you go through a mixture of emotions and I didn’t really know how to react. But I think with the time that I’ve had, that actually she is right, I think everything she said in that statement is right.

“I think if you lie and cheat on the person that you’re meant to care for and be in a relationship with, then that is a form of abuse, of course it is. All I can be is as sorry as I am. I hope one day that she’ll forgive me.

“We’ve not had much contact. I have apologised. With the statement, it’s funny how things work out because actually I’m grateful for that statement because if she hadn’t posted that, if I’m honest I probably wouldn’t have looked at myself and tried to change and I think I’ve done that.”

Seann went on to say that he’s cut down on his alcohol intake and is now in therapy in the aftermath of the national scandal.

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The coaches from The Voice join Seann on The Jonathan Ross Show
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“I went away [after Strictly] and basically, I went to LA, a very positive place,” he explained. “That’s what I needed.

“People in LA, they wake up, they’re smiling, they smile the entire day until bed, that’s what they do. They’re walking around, there is wellness, they’ve got their juices, kale diets, yoga mats, it’s an extremely positive place.

“I wanted to get away and I needed to get away from here and I was like, ‘I’ve got to get out of the UK, I can’t stand this’ and I went out and there was the positivity and I was enjoying it. And then after a month it did begin, as a Brit, to wear me down.”

Although this is Seann’s first time on camera discussing the drama since Strictly came to an end, he has addressed it multiple times in recent stand-up shows.

The Jonathan Ross Show airs on Saturday night at 9.25pm on ITV.

13 times the Strictly "curse" struck
Rachel Riley(01 of13)
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The Countdown presenter announced her split from her husband just weeks after her stint on the show. In 2014, she and pro dancer Pasha Kovalev confirmed they were dating, though she remained insistent that Strictly had nothing to do with her marriage split.

Rachel and Pasha later tied the knot and now have two children together, with the TV personality recently trying to distance herself from Strictly's so-called "curse".
(credit:Joe Giddens/PA Archive)
Susanna Reid(02 of13)
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Susanna's marriage ended in February 2014, weeks after she finished as a runner-up in the competition. The Good Morning Britain anchor continued to live with her ex, Dominic Cotton, and their two sons in the months that followed. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)
Louise Redknapp(03 of13)
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After reaching the final of the 2016 series, Louise began to be plagued with rumours her 19-year marriage to former footballer Jamie Redknapp was on the rocks. Months later, the couple confirmed they had gone their separate ways. (credit:Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)
Joe Calzaghe(04 of13)
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Boxer Joe and pro dancer Kristina Rihanoff initally denied romance rumours when they were paired together in 2009. However Joe split from his girlfriend just weeks later. Joe and Kristina later confirmed that they were a couple, before splitting after four years together. (credit:Mark Cuthbert via Getty Images)
Ben Cohen(05 of13)
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While on the show, Ben denied rumours that he was romancing his pro partner Kristina, and later split from his wife Abby. He and Kristina went on to confirm their relationship but remained insistent it had only begun after the breakdown of his marriage. The couple now have a child together. (credit:Steve Thorne via Getty Images)
Matt Di Angelo(06 of13)
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The EastEnders star reportedly first hooked up with Flavia Cacace during their time dancing together on the 2008 series – on which Flavia's then-boyfriend Vincent Simone was also a dancer. However, they weren't together for long... (credit:Jon Furniss via Getty Images)
Jimi Mistry(07 of13)
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Just a year after getting together with Matt, Flavia ended the relationship after finding love with her new dance partner Jimi. The couple married in 2013. (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Natasha Kaplinsky (08 of13)
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Newsreader Natasha and Brendan were plagued by romance rumours when they were paired up for the first ever series of Strictly in 2004. Despite being insistent that they were just friends, Natasha and Brendan both split from their partners shortly after winning the series. (credit:MJ Kim via Getty Images)
Daisy Lowe(09 of13)
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Daisy split from her boyfriend Bradley "Frankie" Wade during her stint on Strictly in 2016. The relationship was still quite new and the pair struggled to find the time to see each other with her commitments to the show. (credit:PA Archive/PA Images)
Sunetra Sarker(10 of13)
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Sunetra split from her husband of 10 years just before filming for the 2014 series began. (credit:Eamonn M. McCormack via Getty Images)
Dani Harmer (11 of13)
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Tracey Beaker star Dani split from her boyfriend just days after filming began in 2012. (credit:John Phillips via Getty Images)
Helen George(12 of13)
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Just after Helen announced she was one of the 2015 contestants, the Call The Midwife actor revealed she was splitting from her husband of four years, Oliver Boot. (credit:Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)
Georgia May Foote(13 of13)
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Georgia entered Strictly while in a relationship with former Coronation Street co-star Sean Ward. However, just after the series ended, the couple announced their split, and it wasn't long before she embarked on a relationship with dance partner Giovanni Pernice. They eventually broke up after less than a year together. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)