Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas has fired back at criticism she received over her feedback about the Strictly contestants, following being involved in a sexism row.
Shirley spoke about the dance competition when speaking to Holly Willoughby on This Morning where Holly noted people “hang on” to everything Shirley says.
Holly said: “You can be technical but I feel like that is what gets the results, they want to hear what you have to say so you can work on it”.
Shirley went on to explain: “Well, constructive criticism is what I live my life by and I want to give them a few tips that help them.
"And it does help them and the professionals really listen, so sometimes it can come across a little harsh, they know it is not meant to be, I want them to be all that they can be."
Shirley was not only branded “harsh” for her feedback but was also recently accused of giving out low scores to the female contestants on the show.
On the latest show of the series (Saturday 30 September) Shirley gave a lowerscore than her fellow judges to celebrities, Angela Rippon, Zara McDermott, and Ellie Leach.
During the show, former Coronation Street actressEllie Leach, 22, and her partnerVito Coppolawere given an eight from Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood, but Shirley gave them a seven.
Love Island starZara McDermott,26, with her professionalGraziano Di Prima,was awarded a six by the trio of judges, and Shirley decided their dance was worthy of a five. Finally, TV legendAngela Rippon,78, andKai Widdrington scored an eight from the three judges, but the head judge decided to give them a seven.
Fans noticed Shirley's pattern and took to X, formally known as Twitter, to express their opinions. One penned: “Of course. Another low score from Shirley for a woman. #Strictly”, while another said: “Lmao never mind the young pretty woman, our Shirley will even score lower for the older woman. She’s consistent #Strictly.”
A third penned: “Here we go, Shirley with the harsh critique for the women. #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly.”
A source has claimed to The Sun that her scores came as a "surprise," and that comes just a year after she was accused of favouring the male contestants over the female ones.
However a Strictly source claimed the the publication that the judges “judge on dance and dance alone” and that any other “conspiricy theories” are “simply untrue”.
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