CRAIG Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas’ fiery relationship has been revealed after he took a savage swipe at his fellow judges.

The Sun on Sunday revealed how Craig – who has been a staple of the BBC show for 21 years – said he was the ‘only’ judge who mattered.

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In a comment writing off original head judge Len Goodman and axed Arlene Phillips, acid-tongued Craig said: “There is no other judge. I created it. They are either dead or have been sacked.”

Playing up to his notoriety, he added: “I get booed heavily but I enjoy playing the villain.”

Craig blasted Shirley Ballas, 64, Anton Du Beke, 58, and Motsi Mabuse, 43 and insisted he was behind the success of the show.

Head judge Shirley first joined the show in 2017 but her audition didn’t go according to plan – as Craig delivered a three-word verdict.

As part of the selection process, Shirley had to critique a 2010 performance by Ann Widdecombe.

She told The Telegraph: “I sat next to Craig Revel Horwood who I’d never met, and he said, ‘We’re going to throw somebody up on the screen, Shirley, and you will have 15 to 20 seconds to critique them. And then we’ll move on.

“Well, they threw up Ann Widdecombe. I’m a world-class coach and I’d never quite seen anyone in a yellow fluffy dress cleaning the floor before. Craig turned to me and he went, ‘This week, darling,’ but I couldn’t speak. I had no words. 

“There were lots of cameras, some with green lights and I was looking at one with a red light and it just felt a mess.”

However, their relationship became even rockier when Craig was forced to apologise for allegedly body shaming Shirley in 2018.

Shirley previously said how the comments were ‘painful’ as Craig said of her audition: “What happened is that she came to the audition and literally had her thing open to her navel. I am not joking.

“Her boobs were like La BaZooKa things hanging out. It was not very, erm, Strictly. So they came in and sewed all that up. Then they had to push them down… and they’re fake.”

Shirley addressed the shock comments in her autobiography, writing: “It was awful and very, very painful. It brought up a lot of things from my past that I thought I’d dealt with.

“Once again, I was propelled back to my toughest days with [ex-husband] Corky, when he would make comments about my appearance: my crooked teeth, my nose, my a**e that was too big.

“All those insults just came flying back as I read what Craig had said, apparently in jest. I told him exactly how I felt.”

Meanwhile, the pair have had tense scenes while on air, with one instance occurring during last year’s series.

Jamie Borthwick and his professional partner Michelle Tsiakkas were at the mercy of the judges following a rumba.

Craig had said their performance “lacked connection” which Shirley disagreed with.

Slamming her hands down on the table, she hit back: “He’s got to start somewhere, it’s week two!

“He can have a bit more flow!”