Strictly awkward! Shirley gives Claudia a lesson in poise – after calling her a slouch
SHE normally reserves her criticism for the celebrity contestants and their professional partners.
But no one on Strictly Come Dancing, it seems, is safe from Shirley Ballas’s beady eye – even the presenters.
On Sunday night’s results show, she scolded host Claudia Winkleman for slouching, then manhandled her for good measure. The exchange came as the judges were describing what had caught their eye on Saturday night’s show.
Mrs Ballas, 57, explained how Alexandra Burke managed to recover from a slight error because of her strong core muscles and good posture.
To Miss Winkleman’s bemusement, she
‘You have to pull in your fuse box’
asked the 45-year-old: ‘Would you stand up for a moment because you do slouch a little bit?’ The presenter hit back, replying: ‘That’s a brave thing to say.’
No sooner had she stood up than she was pulled and prodded in different directions as Mrs Ballas corrected her posture and, sounding like a bossy headmistress, barked at her about the importance of good core muscles.
Placing her hands on an alarmed-looking Miss Winkleman’s stomach and back, the head judge explained: ‘The central part of the body is here, it’s like a fuse box and if one part of the fuse goes out, the arms can be limp or the legs don’t work or you slouch, so you have to pull in your fuse box, flatten your chest, feel like you’re being pulled up by your ears, and now you should be able to sit down nice and straight.’
She continued: ‘Even when you stand up you should stand up gracefully, you should use your core.’
When Miss Winkleman then demonstrated a deliberately unattractive way of standing up, Mrs Ballas went further with her criticisms, saying: ‘No, darling, not like that. I have noticed you do that once or twice though, my love.’ Fellow judges Darcey Bussell, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli seemed uncertain how to react and some viewers later accused Mrs Ballas of being rude and patronising.
But Miss Winkleman l eapt to her defence yesterday to make clear there was no ill-feeling. She tweeted: ‘I absolutely love @ShirleyBallas – we were laughing throughout. X’.