Strictly's Shirley Ballas speaks of 'heartbreaking' regret as show's head judge

23 September 2023 , 17:15

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Strictly's Shirley Ballas speaks of 'heartbreaking' regret as show's head judge

Strictly Come Dancing star Shirley Ballas has revealed that being the lead judge on the BBC dancing show leaves her feeling heartbroken as it's sometimes up to her to make the final decision to send somebody home.

But she states that being a part of one of the nation's favourite TV shows creates a nice balance. Speaking ahead of tonight's live show, the former professional dancer, 63, said: "The biggest joy is being a small part in the nations favourite show and sharing my knowledge and passion for dance. The biggest challenge is when I hear Anton vote differently to Craig and Motsi in the dance off and then the final say is down to me. It’s so heart breaking having to send anyone home."

Strictly's Shirley Ballas reveals her regret over position as head judge on the BBC show

Shirley replaced Len Goodman as head judge in 2017 and has said that she is excited with this year's line-up which includes Angela Rippon, Made In Chelsea's Zara McDermott and comedian Les Dennis. And she believes that the reason why the show has become so popular is down the "glitz and glamour" of the production and viewers witness the celebrities journey unfold first hand.

She added: "I think the injection of glitz and glamour lightens up audience’s living rooms. I think viewers love to follow the journey of our celebrities throughout their time on the show and they enjoy having their own opinions and thoughts on the dances."

But out of all the celebrities that have taken part over the years there are only two stand out performances that have been firmly etched in her mind. She continued saying that it has to be: "Hamza's Salsa what a surprise. The way he was flipping and throwing Jowita around like there’s no tomorrow, it was so impressive. I think that moment will go down in Strictly history."

Incredible moment Strictly's Shirley Ballas spun around by her ankles in dance

But former Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher's performance of the Samba with his partner Oti Mabuse, was equally as memorable. Shirley said: "Kelvin Fletcher’s Samba with Oti in Week 1 in 2019. I really don’t know how it could be topped! He has this big smile on his face and his bright blue shirt. It was absolutely outstanding and also technically astonishing – definitely one to remember."

Out of all the celebrities in this year's line-up, Angela Rippon is one person who will fill her with fond memories as she announced her during her time as a professional dancer, for the UK Championships. She fondly recalled: "I’m also really looking forward to fan-girling over Angela Rippon! She announced me during the UK championships many times during my competitive career so her voice brings back so many fond memories."

When asked how she would sum up the contribution from the professional dancers over the different series. She claimed: "It’s really simple, we wouldn’t have a show without the marvellous professional dancers. They put their all into it and work so hard to bring out the best in their celebrity partners. They dedicate so much of their craft to the show and it pays off each and every series when we see the level of dancing improve. They are such a joy to watch."

Lucretia Munro