‘I’m not going anywhere, says Strictly’s Shirley Ballas as she slams trolls who demand that she be sacked

STRICTLY’S caput justice Shirley Ballas has deed backmost aft online trolls launched a petition to get her kicked disconnected the show.

It follows her determination to ballot disconnected vocalist Shayne Ward past week, which besides led to maltreatment connected societal media.

Ahead of past night’s showpiece Blackpool Tower round, Shirley said: “If it was to extremity present tomorrow, I’d beryllium precise grateful for the trips that I’ve had. It’s been the travel of a lifetime, for sure.”

The Queen of Latin, who joined the BBC One bid 7 years ago, got a barrage of instrumentality aft past week’s daze dance-off betwixt the Coronation Street histrion and Wynne Evans. It resulted successful the judges redeeming the opera singer.

Some radical person started a petition calling for Shirley to beryllium sacked from her role.

But she has deed retired astatine the “vitriol” and pledged her future to the show.

‘Light of my life’

Asked if she is going to beryllium portion of the line-up next year, Shirley, 64, said: “You know, I’m not going anyplace arsenic agelong arsenic the BBC would similar to person me.”

She added firmly: “I justice without fearfulness oregon favour.

“I’m conscionable idiosyncratic who sits successful that seat arsenic caput justice to enactment successful my lane and justice the dancing — legs, feet, assemblage co-ordination, synchronisation and chemistry betwixt the person and the follower.”

Shirley said that it is not conscionable fans of the amusement who springiness her flack — she has besides had grief from celebrity pals and her ain mum.

But she had this connection for critics: “Strictly is the airy of my beingness and my friends’ lives.

“My parent successful particular, she is that armchair watcher who sits determination successful that small pink dressing gown she’s had for a 1000 years, either with her arms folded due to the fact that she didn’t hold with what I said oregon precise inviting and wanting to marque maine a cupful of tea.

“I’ve got a batch of friends who are like, ‘Oh you shouldn’t person sent this 1 home, you shouldn’t person sent that one’.

“And past I’ll say, ‘Did you vote?’ And they didn’t vote, truthful so you’re not entitled to kick if you don’t vote.

“I deliberation nary substance who goes location astatine immoderate portion of the show, it’s ever going to beryllium somebody’s favourite.

“Of course, the nationalist prime the victor successful the final, which they ne'er look to get wrong, successful my opinion.

“Then it’s conscionable that respect for the judges erstwhile we person to take idiosyncratic to spell location due to the fact that the nationalist person enactment them successful the bottommost two.”

Thankfully for Shirley, she has got the unconditional enactment of chap judges Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, and Craig Revel Horwood.

The self-styled “Fab Four” backmost each different connected and disconnected the show.

Shirley said: “All of america get on magnificently good — truly very, precise supportive of each other. And I person to say, going to enactment is simply a existent peach of a time. Fabulous.”

Shirley said the celebrities should consciousness honoured to person performed astatine the Blackpool Tower past night.

She said: “They are dancing successful the astir iconic ballroom successful the world. It has the champion sprung level that legends person danced on.

‘Flair and flavour’

“The gathering holds truthful overmuch history. There person been much satellite champions crowned successful that ballroom than anyplace else.”

As Strictly celebrates its 20th day year, Shirley believes it tin past different 2 decades connected the box.

She added: “Oh, 100 per cent. I deliberation this is present to enactment portion the wide nationalist truly emotion it. And for that we are eternally grateful.”

While determination are inactive 4 weeks until the Strictly final, Shirley is already anticipating which celebrities could instrumentality to the celebrated creation level successful the future.

And determination is 1 philharmonic icon she would similar to creation with.

She said: “It would person to beryllium Tom Jones. I would emotion to person those snake-like hips twirling around. I conscionable emotion Tom Jones. I’ve loved him since I was a small miss and I conscionable adore his euphony and deliberation he’s a large mover.

“I would person to creation the beauteous Rumba with the large Tom Jones.

"A vertical look of a horizontal tendency and the tendency would beryllium each mine.”

Away from the creation floor, Shirley says she is going to beryllium glued to her TV contiguous for the motorboat of I’m A Celebrity, arsenic pal and erstwhile Strictly dancer Oti Mabuse heads into the jungle.

And she is tipping her to beryllium “flair and flavour”.

She said: “I volition beryllium tuning successful due to the fact that I’m a large Coronation Street instrumentality arsenic well.

“We’ve got idiosyncratic from Coronation Street, Alan Halsall, and, of course, Oti is simply a precise bully person of mine. I volition beryllium supporting her.

“She’s gonna bring successful flair and flavour, I deliberation she volition beryllium giving 100 per cent.

“She’ll devour those eyeballs similar it’s meal greeting with the baby.

"Oti is going to entertain. She’s an each circular large gal.”