Are Surly Shirley’s days numbered?
HIRED to replace retiring head judge Len Goodman, ‘ Queen of Latin’ Shirley Ballas was a champion competitor and respected dance judge.
But many viewers are unimpressed with Shirley ‘Balls-Up’, as some are calling her due to her gaffes, and there are rumours that a ‘disenchanted’ Shirley won’t be back for a second series.
So what’s up with Shirley? ALISON BOSHOFF investigates . . .
THE SLIP-UPS
EVERYTHING about her appearance is immaculate, but Shirley, 57, has demonstrated a rather puzzling confusion about the bigger picture, namely who’s on the dance floor.
In the first week she called Holby City actress Chizzy Akudolu ‘Lizzy.’
A few weeks later, she confused newsreader Charlotte Hawkins with pop star Mollie King. She explained on Twitter: ‘So sorry for accidentally calling Charlotte Mollie. Of course I know who they both are.’
FOOT FIRMLY IN MOUTH
EVEN more embarrassingly, she told Paralympian amputee Jonnie Peacock, who wears a prosthetic blade in place of his missing right foot: ‘You bring a whole new meaning to putting a spring in your step. It was light, it was bright.’
‘excuse the pun,’ said Peacock, and repeated himself when Shirley asked what he had said, to the sound of uneasy laughter in the studio.
Covering her face with her hands. she admitted: ‘OK, I’ve said something wrong again.’
After his tango, she also told Jonnie he needed to dance on the balls of his feet.
On Twitter, his partner Oti Mabuse observed: ‘Can’t dance on something you don’t have . . . but he’s still trying his best despite that.’
‘MAD’ MARKING
SHE says she judges ‘with no fear or favour’. However, some viewers have accused Shirley of wild over-marking, particularly when it comes to actor Joe McFadden, who received a ten early on for his paso doble.
Professional dancer Anton du Beke, partner of TV presenter Ruth Langsford, said it was clear she has a soft spot for Joe. ‘I don’t know if it’s a crush, but Shirley has called him her favourite a couple of times,’ he said.
Behind the scenes, the dancers complain the head judge ‘keeps getting it wrong’.
She counters: ‘I love the viewers but they’re not ballroom dancers.’
FEUD WITH BRENDAN
BRENDAN COLE was taught by Shirley Ballas. ‘He is the one of the dancers whom she knows the best,’ says a pal. Yet, despite that history, Cole, 41, is apparently locked in a conflict with Shirley and ‘ blanks’ her backstage.
The row came into the open when Shirley criticised his tango with Charlotte Hawkins, and Brendan challenged her. They were voted off the following week.
He said: ‘I’ve learned . . . that professionals are apparently not allowed an opinion. I’m a colleague of Shirley; she’s not my superior.’
A Strictly source said: ‘Brendan is hinting that he’s not going to come back. He feels that he’s had a really unpleasant experience this year.’
A source close to Shirley said: ‘She finds it really sad. There are no bad feelings from her side.’
SNIPING FROM THE REST
SOME of the dancers have apparently taken to calling her ‘Surly Shirley’. A source said: ‘Many, if not most, of them know her from the competitive circuit and a few have crossed swords with her before. She is quite feared.’
COME AGAIN, SHIRLEY?
WHILE the other judges seek to entertain and be understood, Shirley prefers to give technical feedback.
Judge Craig Revel Horwood said: ‘Shirley is this year’s villain. She’s frighteningly technical with her criticism and I know the audience might struggle with that.’
Shirley said: ‘I don’t think about whether I upset someone. I’m just doing my job.’
WILL SHE RETURN?
SHIRLEY is thrilled to have been nominated for a National Television Award (NTA) as best TV judge — but will she still be doing Strictly when the gongs are handed out?
One possibly inauspicious sign is that, unlike the other three judges, she has not signed up for the Strictly tour. Sources say negotiations are ongoing. As for Shirley, she says she is taking it ‘one day at a time’.