Shirley Ballas, the head judge of Strictly Come Dancing, has recently come under fire from viewers of the show who accuse her of ‘hating’ contestant Angela Scanlon. During the show’s Halloween special, Ballas gave feedback to Scanlon and once again pointed out her breathing, offering advice on how she could improve it. This has led some viewers to speculate that Ballas holds a grudge against Scanlon.
This is not the first time viewers have made this claim during the series. Earlier this month, someone tweeted, “Shirley HATES Angela. Not a single compliment.” Another viewer added, “Shirley clearly hates Angela.” It seems that every year, Ballas has one female contestant whom she allegedly dislikes. In previous seasons, she has been accused of favoring male contestants over female stars.
Last year, Ballas faced criticism after she saved eliminated celebrity Richie Anderson over Fleur East following a dance-off, despite Fleur scoring higher. This led to accusations that Ballas was biased towards male contestants. However, Ballas has addressed these trolling comments on Loose Women, stating that it is okay for people to disagree with her and that they can still have respectful conversations.
Earlier this month, Ballas faced claims of ‘sexism’ regarding her scoring of some of the female contestants. During the September 30 show, she scored Ellie and Angela Rippon both 7s, lower than her fellow judges who gave them 8s. She also gave Zara a lower score compared to the other judges. Some viewers accused Ballas of undermarking the younger female contestants and not hiding her jealousy or dislike.
However, there were viewers who defended Ballas, pointing out that she had criticized male contestants as well. It seems that no matter what Ballas does, she cannot escape criticism. Some viewers accuse her of favoritism towards male contestants, while others claim she is too harsh on female celebrities. It’s a challenging position to be in as a judge on a highly popular and competitive show.
As for Angela Scanlon, she continues to perform on Strictly and work towards improving her dancing skills. Despite the accusations against Ballas, Scanlon remains determined to give her best performance each week. Only time will tell if this controversy will have any impact on the competition.
Strictly Come Dancing continues this Saturday, and it will be interesting to see how the remaining contestants fare and what feedback they receive from the judges. While the accusations against Ballas may continue, the show must go on, and it’s up to the viewers to decide who they believe deserves to win the coveted glitterball trophy.
