Ballas

VIEWERS flocked to social media to slam Shirley Ballas during this weekend’s Halloween-themed Strictly shows thanks to her particularly harsh critiques.

The head judge had fans up in arms for dishing out scathing remarks and issuing low points to some of the celebrities and their dance routines.

One comment accused her of being ‘an ice queen all series’, not just for Halloween, referring to the costume she dressed in for Saturday’s seasonal show.

“Is it just me or is she unnecessarily vile?” they remarked on Reddit. “Is the criticism helpful, is she funny, is she entertaining? IMHO no!”

The backlash seemed to kick off when Shirley made notably harsh comments about Delta Goodrem’s Viennese Waltz and Tabby Stoecker’s Quickstep.

Another typed on X: “Is Shirley ok tonight? Giving Tabby a 5 for that dance. It was clearly way better than a 5. She needs to get out of her mood, ruining the vibe of the show!”

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Someone else added: “Shirley being harsh on Delta and Tabby but giving John stupid amounts of praise?”

After awarding five points to Tabby Stoecker’s Quickstep, a further fan fumed: “A FIVE?! Shirley, I am stealing that five panel from you. IT’S BEEN OUT TOO MUCH, AND IT’S UNFAIR EVERY TIME!”

Another fan seethed that the scoring was “truly ridiculous” as someone else chimed in: “Constructive teaching is one thing, but it is the delivery that grates.

“Sometimes it feels like a subtle put-down wrapped up with a joke at the end to deflect, and she occasionally undermines the other judges rather than just disagreeing with them!”

Others leapt to Shirley’s defence, with one saying: “She puts forward good, constructive feedback. To be honest, I do think most teachers who train athletes or dancers (even musicians) come across this way.”

Another posted: “She is a judge and a dance teacher. It’s literally her job to tell them what went wrong and how to improve.

“I don’t think she’s vile and I find her entertaining at times. I think her criticism is often constructive and useful unlike some other judges.”

This comes as other fans deemed Shirley solely responsible for condemning one star to the dance-off with a surprising comment ahead of the huge twist that saw three couples in the dance-off this weekend.

Shirley upset fans when she told House of the Dragon actor Bethany Antonia and her pro partner Nancy Xu: “As you move forward, and if you’re fortunate enough to, I would like you to start going for things.”

Disgruntled fans flocked to social media and one wrote: “Did Shirley just say ‘if you’re FORTUNATE enough’ to move forward to Bethany?? No words…”

A second added: “Lol Shirley more or less damning Bethany to a dance -with that one comment.”

Indeed, Bethany and Nancy did find themselves in the dance-off against Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu and Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał, but it was the latter who left the competition.

Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas looks set to fly the nest and follow the likes of Bruno Tonioli to the stateside version of the show, Dancing With The Stars

Shirley Ballas is getting ready to quickstep her way stateside with a new role on Dancing With The Stars, according to reports. The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 66, is said to be ready to follow the likes of Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman to switch to the US version of the dance show.

It’s claimed she won’t give up her role on the BBC’s prime Saturday show, though. Instead, insiders claim she will fit filming in between the live Strictly shows.

“Shirley will fly to the US later this month after the Strictly live show finishes,” the source said. They added that, as DWTS is filmed throughout the week, she will then return in time for the live weekend shows.

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“It’s a whirlwind schedule, but she jumped at the chance to take part,” the source told The Sun. They went on to claim that, while it’s just a one-off for now, it could progress. They said: “If the US TV bosses think Shirley is a hit, they’re sure to see if she would come back.”

Shirley initially joined Strictly as head judge in 2017. But fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood recently joked she will never be able to fill the boots of late legend Len Goodman, who died in 2023 at the age of 78.

‘For me, he was Strictly Come Dancing, Craig said at the unveiling of a tribute sculpture to the legendary judge at the Goodman Dance Academy in Dartford in July. “His sayings… ‘A ten from Len’ was a huge one. Shirley has tried to replicate that one, but sadly, she failed.”

He also paid tribute to his genuine off-screen friendship with Len, saying viewers only ever saw one side of their famously fiery relationship. He went on: “I loved Len. If you looked at the TV, we were constantly fighting like cat and dog, but as soon as we came off stage, we’d have a pally drink together.

“‘We toured together. So I was stuck in a car with Len for hours and hours while he got out to look at another building, darling.”

The judge also revealed how Len helped him overcome his biggest fear when he first joined Strictly. ‘I am now the age Len was when he started Strictly.

“There was a twenty-year difference between us. I’ll let you into a little secret – when I started, I was having nightmares because I didn’t know ballroom and Latin.”

Len, who also appeared on DWTS, was given a huge tribute on the show following his death. The show announced in 2023 that they were officially renaming the famous mirrorball trophy to the Len Goodman Trophy.

Julianne Hough said at the time: “Len was on this panel for nearly all of our 32 seasons and although he’s irreplaceable we wanted to pay tribute to him… Len will always be going forward with us.”

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