13 August 2023 , 17:04
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Shirley Ballas has defended this year’s Strictly Come Dancing lineup after complaints that several contestants were relatively unknown.
The show’s head judge insists viewers “will get to love each and every one of them”. Shirley, 62, points out that last year’s winner was Countryfile cameraman Hamza Yassin, who was not a household name when he took to the dance floor with Jowita Przystal.
“Everybody fell in love with him and learned what he did,and his love for animals and nature,” she notes. And she is keen to see the magic when Paralympian Jody Cundy takes to the dancefloor, as the amputee wears a prosthetic limb. Her foster son Derek Hough was praised for his “absolutely phenomenal” work on Dancing With The Stars with double amputee Amy Purdy. “Derek created some special blades so she could do the Quickstep, and she was phenomenal.”
Shirley took over as head judge from the late Len Goodman (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Hamza Yassin from Countryfile won the 2022 series - despite being only moderately well known beforehand (BBC/Ray Burmiston)Shirley is also taken by two big names on the lineup. She said: “I’m fangirling a little bit over Krishnan Guru-Murthy, the newsreader, because he’s on my telly every day. And Angela Rippon was part of the UK championships the year I made the final in 1991.” Other stars include comic Les Dennis and Wimbledon star Annabel Croft. But some have been underwhelmed by names such as radio DJs Nikita Kanda and Eddie Kadi and the show’s first former Love Islander Zara McDermott.
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Over the weekend, Shirley completed her Skyathlon by jumping 13,000ft from a plane going 120mph to raise funds for a suicide prevention charity. She had also ridden the world’s fastest zipline and wing walked at 700ft in support of the Campaign Against Living Miserably. After bursting into tears due to her fear of heights, Shirley found the challenge “very difficult” but also “exhilarating”.
Shirley is excited to see Angela Rippon included in the line-up (PA)It has been a difficult week emotionally for her and her mother as they relived memories of her brother David, who took his life aged 44. “I sat down with her and we had emotional tears, and she said, ‘You’re doing great, and I’m proud of you but nothing you do will bring him back’, and I think that was a crush line for me because she’s still suffering deep down,” said Shirley.
Her Skyathlon fundraiser has already passed its £30,000 target.
- To donate visit thecalmzone.net/skyathlon.