Shirley Ballas on taking over as Head Judge on Strictly Come Dancing
She reflects on this year’s celebrities, fellow judges and talks about her future on the BBC hit show
This has only been her first year as Strictly Come Dancing’s new Head Judge, but that’s no guarantee Shirley Ballas will be back for more in 2018.
“Just like the voting, nothing is for sure,” admits the 57-year-old dance pro. “Let’s get this season finished first.”
Would she like to come back, though?
“If I was asked, I would be very humbled and honoured,” she smiles. “I’ve had an absolutely amazing time on the show.
"It’s just one beautiful sparkling journey.”
That’s in spite of the social-media storms that big decisions tend to cause – most notably, when Shirley used her casting vote to send home fan favourite Aston Merrygold in week seven.
“I wasn’t surprised at how much fuss that caused,” she says, “but what I was absolutely surprised about was that he was in the bottom two in the first place.
"That’s the viewers’ choice, not mine. My mum was disappointed when Aston was in the bottom two, but I said to her: ‘Did you vote?’ She said she hadn’t.
"If you don’t vote for them, they risk going in the bottom two. You can’t judge on what has passed and you can’t judge on what you think might be.
“What I have always promised myself since I was 17 is: as long as I can sleep at night, I know I’ve made the right choice.
"So I have no problems with any choices or decisions I have made. I do my job to the best of my ability with no fear or favour. I just say it as I see it.”
Shirley’s 80-year-old mum Audrey has proved rather invaluable to her as she – excuse the pun – found her feet on the biggest show on TV as Len Goodman’s replacement on the judging panel.
Particularly when fans of the series complained that some of Shirley’s critiques of the dances contained too much technical jargon.
“I try to think of my mum in the audience and ask: ‘Would she get it?’” reveals Shirley.
“I had tweets asking: ‘Shirley, what exactly is a ‘chasse’?
"You’re using the word like we all understand it.’ Or: ‘What does it mean to have ‘a core’?’ So that made me take a step back for a minute and think how to say it in more layman’s terms that people understand.
"Those tweets helped to keep me on my toes.”
Admitting that becoming a key part of Strictly “can be a little overwhelming if you’ve done no TV before”, thankfully Shirley also had her fellow judges on hand for support.
“Craig Revel Horwood is just a bundle of knowledge – he can sing, dance and act, and he has amazing insight which is usually very close to what I feel,” she explains.
“Prima ballerina at the Royal Ballet, Darcey Bussell’s knowledge is second to none. She’s just the most beautiful human being I think I’ve ever met. And I’ve known Bruno Tonioli for years and he’s just mad as a hatter! He delivers his message with such conviction.
I’m entertained just sitting next to him.
“A few times I’ve nearly been knocked out by his arms, but I love it. I’ll see it in my peripheral vision and think: ‘It’s coming, it’s coming.’
"I dive and duck. I wouldn’t have Bruno any other way. It’s how he expresses himself as a human being. He reminds me of tennis players who grunt.
"If you take that out, they don’t perform as well.”
As we arrive at the final, Shirley has no idea who will win the Glitterball trophy.
“I really would not like to call it,” she says.
“I’ve watched more than 20 seasons of Dancing With The Stars all over the world, but this has been one of the most unpredictable seasons of Strictly. So if you have a favourite, I implore you to vote for them.”
Strictly Come Dancing - The Final, Saturday 6.30pm, BBC One
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