Shirley says she is Strictly about the dancing as Walsh defends reputation
Strictly Come Dancing’s head judge Shirley Ballas has insisted she will only judge Seann Walsh and Katya Jones on their dancing when they return to the show this weekend.
Ballas told ITV’S This Morning she was “not there to judge anybody’s private life” as she refused to be drawn on speculation the pair might have been dropped from Strictly after they were pictured kissing while both being in relationships.
Comedian Walsh and professional dancer Jones have been at the centre of a media storm following the publication in the Sun of pictures of them kissing for which they have both apologised.
Stand-up comic Walsh was later publicly dumped by longterm partner Rebecca Humphries, who said in a withering statement he had called her “psycho” when she suspected something was going on.
Walsh last night insisted he was not the person he has been portrayed as.
Appearing alongside Jones on Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two, Walsh said: “We were getting on well, we were having fun. We had a couple of drinks and made a huge mistake and I regret it deeply.”
The 32-year-old added: “First of all I would rather not be having to address this publicly, but I feel like I have to.
“I made a mistake, which I’m very sorry for – sorry for the hurt that I’ve caused.
“You never think about the extent of the damage that you’re going to do, in a moment of, you know the mistake that you’ve made. I’m not perfect, far from it. Our relationship wasn’t perfect.
“That doesn’t mean I wanted it to end the way it finally did.”
He added: “I feel it’s also important for me to say that the people that know me the most, that love me, they know that I am not the person I’m being portrayed as.”
Jones, 29, is married to fellow Strictly dancer Neil Jones. She said: “The main thing, me and Neil are absolutely fine and that’s what matters to me the most right now.” Ballas had earlier said: “I’m there to judge a competition, which is about dancing, I’m not there to judge anybody’s private life.”