BALLAS BLASTS TROLLS Shirl on attack over tweets

SHIRLEY Ballas has hit back at web trolls who target her online.

The Strictly judge often faces abuse for her decisions on the BBC series.

Last year she angered scores of viewers by voting to send home JLS hunk Aston Merrygold in one of the biggest shocks in the show’s history.

But Shirley, 58, said: “It’s all down to the public vote and I would appreciate it if I didn’t get 50,000 tweets being horrible because I sent someone home.

“Perhaps they shouldn’t have been there in the first place – do you know what I’m saying?”

Shirley faced a mixed reaction from viewers when she took over from Strictly legend Len Goodman as head judge last year.

But she has never felt pressure to be better than him.

She said: “The job itself was daunting but filling Len Goodman’s shoes was not. That’s because I never tried to fill anyone else’s shoes – only my own.

“It’s just about the job I can do with my 50-plus years of experience. It’s about what I can bring as a person, not about comparing myself to somebody else.”

Shirley made headlines this series when she commented on Seann Walsh’s hair. But she insists she doesn’t want to be seen as a nasty judge.

Shirley said: “I try to be positive and not to hurt anybody and put anyone’s confidence down. I’m fun, fair and feisty and I want to give the contestants encouragement but also some technical pointers.”

LAUREN Steadman is inspiring child amputees through her daring Strictly routines with AJ Pritchard.

The Paralympian, 25, who was born with an incomplete right arm, said she has had some “fantastic” comments, many from the parents of amputees. Lauren said: “They have said things like, ‘You’ve shown our little girl that if she has a dream there is no excuse and she can do it’.”