BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Shirley Ballas stands by controversial dance-off decision

Strictly Come Dancing caput justice Shirley Ballas caused a furious backlash from amusement fans erstwhile she opted to prevention Wynne Evans and Katya Jones implicit Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu

Shirley Ballas has insisted she did not ballot strategically connected Strictly Come Dancing to nonstop Shayne Ward location aft a tenser creation off.

The 64-year-old creation expert has been the caput justice connected the BBC's long-running creation contention since 2017 - but sparked a backlash from fans past weekend. Viewers were appalled to spot her invoke her powerfulness arsenic caput justice connected the amusement to nonstop 40-year-old vocalist Shayne and his creation spouse Nancy Xu, 33, location aft they danced against Opera vocalist Wynne Evans, 52, and his creation spouse Katya Jones, 35.

Fans slammed the prime - which was made aft the sheet of judges divided their votes betwixt the 2 couples, but Shirley's prime arsenic caput justice tipped the scales successful Wynne and Katya's favour. The determination was particularly hard for fans arsenic it robbed Shayne and Nancy of the accidental to creation astatine Blackpool Tower Ballroom this play for the yearly Blackpool peculiar occurrence of Strictly.

But present Shirley has insisted that her prime wasn't motivated by immoderate outer prime oregon consciousness of bias. She has insisted that she relied connected her expertise and recovered the X Factor prima was the weaker prima connected the night.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Shirley said she "stands by her determination 150 per cent" and said she volition support voting connected the amusement without "fear oregon favour". She told the outlet: "The audiences astatine location spot definite camera angles, with each the effects and things similar leaves falling down connected the screen. But arsenic judges we conscionable spot the acold ballroom arsenic it is. We spot each the footwork and landings, small mistakes, things similar that, that power our decision."

Viewers were devastated to spot Shayne spell location past weekend. Gracious successful defeat, the prima said during his exit interview: "I conscionable privation to say, you guys up determination [the different contestants successful the Clauditorium] are a dream. Every azygous day, coming successful present and seeing you guys you helped maine truthful much. I privation to accidental convey you to the assemblage arsenic well, for ever being astonishing for america all. This has been, honestly, 1 of the champion things I've ever done.”

He continued: “I'm arrogant that I made it to 8 weeks arsenic a novice dancer. A monolithic convey you goes to this unthinkable quality close adjacent to maine [Nancy], who has enactment truthful overmuch occurrence successful maine and made maine judge that I tin really execute much if I fto myself go. I'm atrocious it didn't enactment retired to the end, but I'm ace arrogant that I got to conscionable you [to Nancy] and creation with you, truthful convey you.”

Nancy besides had affirmative words to accidental astir her experience, gushing: “I'm beyond arrogant of this creation partnership. Shayne from week 1 until this point, each 2nd you enactment your feet connected the dancefloor you improved yourself. You're a heavy thinker, you ever uncertainty yourself, you ne'er believed yourself, but I ne'er ever questioned you. When I ticker you, I consciousness arrogant due to the fact that I've turned idiosyncratic who has ne'er ever danced successful their beingness into an astonishing dancer. You should judge successful yourself. I adored this partnership.”

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