Shirley Ballas

Strictly judge chats about the gorgeous Craig, the sparkly Anton and the, er, memorable Ann Widdecombe

How does it feel to return for another series?

I am so tremendously excited, I absolutely cannot wait. One, to be going back to work, two, to see all my friends, and three, to watch the journey of this spectacular line-up of celebrities.

What do you love about working on the show?

I love going in on a Saturday, going into my room and seeing all my friends - I love to see Motsi Mabuse. She’s a few doors down and she always has loud music blaring and she dances down the corridors, I love her energy. Then we’ve got Craig Revel Horwood, who is just gorgeous, just gorgeous. He’s always got something positive to say behind the scenes, and this year we have Anton Du Beke, so I’m really excited about seeing all my fellow judges.

Do you have any favourite dances from over the years?

I loved the Reverend Richard Coles when he came down in the cloud – I thought he was very brave. Gangnam Style with Ed Balls was brilliant!. Another one was Ann Widdecombe – you don’t always have to be the best dancer to have the most memorable numbers. Good or bad...are you memorable? That is the question. Kelvin Fletcher with his samba when he came out... there are so many others. Bill Bailey when he did Rock Of Ages with the rock music and tango – that was a standout moment.

What do you think Anton will bring to the judging panel this year?

I think he’s going to bring a lot of sparkle - he’ll have a lot of fun. Of course, his forte is ballroom dancing, so it will be interesting to see what he and I see together. Do we see the same thing? Are we going to critique the same thing? It’ll be interesting to hear his comments. I think he’ll bring a lot of fun and a lot of empathy to the celebrities when they come down the stairs and they’re about to be critiqued.

I love the music, the celebs, the dancers. I love it more than life itself

What’s your greatest memory from Strictly so far?

It has to be the day I got the job. That is a memory I will never forget. The audition was an absolute disaster... I got to do it twice, and the second one was better. To get the actual call to say, ‘We think that you would be good for the job’, and at 57, who would have thought? Now I’m going into my fifth series and I love it more than life itself. I just love every single second of the music, the atmosphere, the celebrities, the professionals (who are the best in the world by the way) and everybody who helps make that show run.