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Opera singer Wynne Evans has said he is "disappointed" about what he claims were "lies" told about him in the media during his time on Strictly Come Dancing.
The BBC Radio Wales presenter became the eighth star to leave the show after his Charleston failed to impress judges in a dance off at Blackpool Tower Ballroom on Sunday.
The 52-year-old Welshman, who found fame in insurance adverts, was caught up in controversy with dance partner Katya Jones earlier in the series after what they called a "running joke" backfired.
"I'm still astounded that people are allowed to write any, for want of a better word, lies that they want," he said.
"I'm disappointed that I've seen that side of life," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.
"The Strictly family are perfect in every way," he said. "The press are a different kettle of fish."
He still described his Strictly journey as "brilliant".
Speaking to BBC Wales on Monday, he pointed to media coverage on the reasons why he swapped an appearance on spinoff show It Takes Two with fellow contestant Chris McCausland.
He said an article claimed he "stormed out of the studio" and "was refusing to go on the show".
But Evans said McCausland asked to swap because he wanted to look at a school for his daughter.
BBC Wales has been unable to identify the article mentioned.
"It’s just total fabrication of what actually happened," he said.
Evans, who has spoken openly about his mental health struggles said three-time champion Jones taught him a lot about being in the "goldfish bowl".
"I think I'm a much stronger person coming out of it."
Evans also addressed controversy around a "running joke" between him and Jones that the pair apologised for after it was poorly received.
Viewers noticed some apparently awkward moments when Jones seemed to decline a high-five and later appeared to move Evans's hand from her waist.
After the show the pair appeared in a social media video together describing the high-five moment as a "running joke" between them.
Jones later said it was "complete nonsense" that the moment she moved Evans’s hand away "made me feel uncomfortable or offended me in any way".
The BBC declined to comment, but a Strictly source told BBC News that "the welfare team have checked in on the pair and there are no further actions planned".
Celebrities have been outspoken about their treatment recently, and the show has put in place heightened welfare measures, including chaperones in rehearsals.
Evans said: "What I can say was it was a joke that sadly was misinterpreted.
"And I think just as we have to believe people when something really has gone wrong and we have to believe people when they say it was a joke."
He added the coverage of it "for days on end was pretty relentless".
When asked if explaining the joke might have relieved some of the pressure he said: "Maybe. Maybe not. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and it was just something that happened and that was it."
Despite this, Evans said he loved his time on the show, saying it was important to preserve the show for generations to come.
“I hope Strictly’s still there when I’ve got grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and they can watch their favour people on the television,” he said.
The remaining seven couples will take to the dancefloor next week with the final on 14 December.
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