Shirley Ballas accused of being 'sexist' as Strictly fans demand she's axed from panel

Strictly Come Dancing professionals Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova have shut down rumours of a backstage feud. The pair met on the show, both joining the process as professional dancers, before falling in love with one another. After a shock dance-off last week, which saw Richie Anderson exit the competition after facing Fleur East, Nadiya and Kai have opened up about how tough it is to lose someone on the show - as everyone is so close backstage.

Motsi Mabuse wreaked havoc in the Strictly Come Dancing studio when she accidentally broke her chair in two.She wreaked havoc on the chair after Fleur East performed her steamy Argentine Tango routine with show pro Vito Coppola during Saturday night's live show (October 15).Motsi got so excited by the saucy dance that she accidentally snapped her chair and later claimed she needed to "control" herself.READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse leaves co-star upset as she forgets his name The hilarious incident came during the judges' feedback, which saw Fleur receive a ton of praise from the judges.Famously strict judge Craig Revel Horwood announced: "That dance is the one to beat," which prompted a roaring cheer from the audience.When host Tess Daly turned to Motsi for her feedback, it was clear the dancing pro was over the moon with Fleur's dancing chops.Motsi replied: "Wow, wow, wow!" before leaping out of her chair and towards the table, but when she lunged forward her chair fell back onto the floor.Craig rushed to pick it up for her and couldn't help laughing when he reaised the chair had been broken in two.Tess declared: "The chair's broken!" and Motsi was left in stitches at her epic blunder as she sat back down in the damaged chair.Tess added: "She has a cushion now - thank you, Craig!" before joking: "She's overwhelmed, safe to say."Motsi agreed: "Yes, I have to control myself" but admitted she couldn't and heaped praise on Fleur and Vito for their routine.Strictly fans couldn't help joking about Motsi's chair gaffe on Twitter during the episode.One quipped: "An Argentine tango SO good it broke Motsi's chair...

Strictly Come Dancing fans were left feeling emotional after Gorka Márquez sweetly reassured his celebrity partner Helen Skelton on tonight's show. Gorka, 32, and Helen, 39, performed an incredible Paso Doble which saw them win huge praise from judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood. After receiving their scores, host Claudia Winkleman began chatting to the pair and Gorka soon asked if she could quickly say something to his partner.

Strictly Come Dancing's Fleur East has made an incredible comeback after she and professional partner Vito Coppola landed in the bottom two last week. The 34 year old singer, who recently confessed her husband watches her "hot and steamy" routines, appeared on stage wearing a figure-hugging black and red dress with a thigh-high slit. Vito, 30, matched her outfit as he donned a red shirt underneath a black waistcoat.

Strictly Come Dancing's Tess Daly is known for her glam wardrobe while carrying out hosting duties on the much-loved BBC dance contest. As the TV presenter took to the stage alongside pal and co-host Claudia Winkleman she had fans talking as she turned heads in a bold red suit and matching silky shirt.

Comedian Jayde Adams broke down in tears after Strictly Come Dancing enabled her to fulfil her promise to her older sister. An emotional Jaye performed the tear-jerking ballad Wind Beneath My Wings from the classic film Beaches with her pro dance partner Karen Hauer.

The 18th series of Strictly Come Dancing is well underway and this year we've seen four new professional dancers join the popular BBC One show. Over the years, viewers have watched 64 professional dancers take to the Strictly dance floor and there's now only Anton Du Beke left from the first series, but he is part of the judging panel rather than the competition. There's been married couples take part in the show, such as James and Ola Jordan and Lilia Kopylova and Darren Bennett, as well as some who even fell for their celebrity partners during their time on Strictly.

AJ Pritchard has called Shirley Ballas "the most qualified" judge on Strictly Come Dancing after fans demanded she be sacked from the role over concerns she was favouring male celebrities on the show. Shirley, 62, was accused of being "sexist" after explaining she would have saved Richie Anderson, 34, and his pro partner Giovanni Pernice, 32, on Sunday 9 October night following their dance off with Fleur East, 34, and Vito Coppola, 30.

Strictly Come Dancing star Fleur East has had a tough week after facing the dance-off in last weekends show.

Strictly Come Dancing judge is known for his acid-tongued critiques of celebrity couples' performances on the iconic ballroom dance floor.From his cutting comments to his disappointed eye-rolls, Craig Revel-Horwood is undoubtedly the judge every dancer is terrified to be critiqued by.But it’s not just the contestants who are heartbroken by his cruel comments, as many professional dance partners recall also feeling disheartened by his pearls of wisdom on the show.READ MORE:Strictly's Shirley Ballas holds back tears as she breaks silence on 'sexism' claimsDespite his sometimes harsh comments, the long-serving judge, 57, holds a wealth of knowledge in the ballroom arena after first starting off his dancing career back in 1982.The Australian-British judge had a turbulent upbringing during his childhood as the son of an alcoholic naval officer and a housewife, but soon found an escape through his passion for dance.He first began dancing in Ballarat, Australia where he went on to perform in a number of musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats and Miss Saigon.But what many fans may not know is that the star secretly paid for his dance lessons by working as a rent boy while he worked as a sous chef as a teenager.While living as a teenager in Australia, the former drag queen revealed he was approached by a sugar daddy who was willing to pay for his dance lessons in exchange for sexual favours.Speaking to Cheltenham Literary Festival, the Strictly judge revealed: “He said, ‘I will pay for your classes but you come away with me and we do the dirty’.”Craig – who was just 17-years-old at the time – now credits the mystery man for all of his success as a professional dancer and celebrity judge.The award-winning dancer went on to

BBC ballroom when she steps out to host Strictly Come Dancing every week.But Tess Daly managed to wow her fans all over again when she wore a stunning red ensemble to the live show on Saturday night (October 15). The presenter, 53, looked ever bit the glamour goddess when she rocked up in a plunging red shirt that showcased her killer figure on camera.READ MORE:Strictly beauties who stripped naked - Tess Daly, Gemma Atkinson and Kym Marsh Tess teamed her shiny shirt with a chic red blazer and matching trousers that sailed all the way down to her silver pointed-toe heels.

Strictly Come Dancing ground to a halt just minutes into the BBC One show as the crowd erupted into a mass of stomping feet and rowdy applause.None of the gathered celebrities had even had a chance to put their best feet forward before a segment over Thursday's National Television Awards (October 14) saw proceedings stall.Presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman paused things after the pairs and judges had been introduced to the dance floor, with Tess announcing: "Now, before we get started, shall we have another big cheer for our NTA winner Anton?"READ MORE: Strictly star Ellie Taylor is dancing so hard her boobs 'won't stop aching'Claudia beside her said: "Aww, look at him!" as Anton grinned from ear to ear with his award on the desk beside him."Bask in it, babe, bask!" Tess encouraged, before the audience and gathered celebrities began to stomp their feet on the floor, starting up a cheer of: "Anton! Anton! Anton!"Putting a hand to his chest, Anton looked emotional as he stood up to take a bow, teasing: "I wouldn't be anywhere without my fellow judges!"Clutching his gong, he laughed: "But you can't have this, it's mine!" – to raucous laughter.Anton scooped the National Television Award for Best Judge last week, going up against RuPaul for RuPaul's Drag Race UK, David Walliams of Britain's Got Talent and The Masked Singer's Mo Gilligan.And Strictly came away with another gong in the Best Talent Show category, with last year's winners Giovanni Pernice and Rose Ayling-Ellis leading the charge to the stage.

READ MORE: Strictly star wouldn't have romance with pro as he wouldn't give body away 'willy nilly' “My upper body is wondering what is going on.”The Ted Lasso actress said she had no idea how tough Strictly would be when she signed up, and told how dancing on the hit BBC show was giving her nightmares.Ellie, 38, said: “I’m loving it but Strictly is full on. I expected it to be really physical because you are so active training all the time.“But it’s the mental side of things which is harder, especially because I know I am not the best dancer.“I have a little wobble every day.

Strictly Come Dancing has delivered in providing TV audiences with Saturday night entertainment and some truly unforgettable performances and moments.First airing in 2004, the epic BBC competition seemed like a show like no other, with its jaw-dropping spectacles, impeccable wardrobes and witnessing a whole host of celebs - good or bad - take to the dance floor.Viewers can sometimes even forget that the show is a competition, and outside of its glitz and glam, there's no doubt unexpected rivalries, behind-the-scenes chaos, and ongoing feuds have led to some very intense moments.READ MORE: Strictly curse babies – Rachel Riley's sweet arrival, health woes and pregnancy rumoursDaily Star digs deep and takes a look at some of Strictly's most notorious bust-ups and vendettas over the show's 20 series.Strictly's head judge Shirley Ballas has hit back at allegations of sexism after saying she would have saved Richie Anderson over Fleur East in this years Strictly.The judge was hit with a wave of anger from fans over some of her comments about the female celebs, particularly of Ellie Taylor.Even pro dancer Nikita Kuzmin called out Shirley for her remarks, and some viewers even demanded Shirley be sacked.Taking to Twitter, She explained that while the nasty comments made her "resilient", a "wall goes up".Shirley insisted that she "doesn't have a mean bone in [her] body" and that her comments come from 45 years of experience in the tough dancing world." Gorka was fuming when he wasn’t given a celebrity partner in 2019 after winning with Katie Piper the year before.So, when footballer Alex Scott’s professional partner, Neil Jones, was injured in training, he was even madder when he wasn’t chosen to replace him.Instead, Strictly

Strictly Come Dancing stars Kai Widdrington and Nadiya Bychkova have shared some joyous news away from the famous dancefloor as they introduced the 'latest addition' to their family unit. The smitten couple proudly showed fans their adorable pet bulldog as they posed outdoors with their fluffy bundle, who has his own dedicated social media for fans to follow his adventures.

Strictly Come Dancing fans got more than they bargained for at the weekend when Tony Adams stripped off to perform his Full Monty inspired Samba routine.The former England footballer didn't hold back during his saucy routine to You Sexy Thing as he strutted his stuff around the stage in a pair of sparkly underpants after stripping off his shirt and trousers.While Tony, 56, is the most recent Strictly star to strip off he certainly isn't alone in shedding his clothes and joins a long line of celebs we've seen hitting the dancefloor who aren't afraid to flash a little flesh. READ MORE:Strictly's Shirley Ballas holds back tears as she breaks silence on 'sexism' claimsHere we look at the Strictly stars who haven't shied away from getting their kit off over the years.Tess started her career as a model and quickly won herself a huge fanbase when she took up TV presenting too.Her svelte curves and stunning face coupled with her tall and elegant frame made her a favourite for not only lads mags but even lingerie brands.She also once appeared completely naked in a music video.Kym stripped off when she posed on the cover of Marie Claire magazine alongside her Hear'say bandmates Myleene Klass and Suzanne Shaw.She's already proving a huge hit on the current series of Strictly with her expert moves and flexibility and even got credited with the "performance of the series" so far by Anton Du Beke after performing her Charleston at the weekend.When it comes to sexy Strictly stars it doesn't get much raunchier than Denise Van Outen.

Strictly Come Dancing panel alongside Len Goodman and Craig Revel Horwood from 2004 until 2009. As the professional dancer discussed her partnership with Wiltshire Farm Foods, Arlene revealed whether she would ever return to Strictly as a judge.Arlene was replaced on the BBC dance show in 2009 by Alesha Dixon.Having been away from the show for many years and still being a huge fan, Express.co.uk asked Arlene if she would ever return.She replied: "It's not a question I would ever ask myself because it's not going to happen.So why even think about it?"However, I can say I loved the show and I loved being part of it and I do miss it."This comes after Arlene told The Mirror last year that she was never told why she was taken off Strictly.She revealed: "I gave myself 48 hours to kick, scream, cry and sob, and eat scones with cream and jam, then I made myself wake up and get on with it," she told the newspaper."I reflect and think, wow, I really didn’t ask the questions I needed to ask.

STRICTLY'S Kaye Adams says flirty judge Shirley Ballas has nothing to apologise for - other than being an older woman. The Loose Women presenter, 59, claims "ageism and sexism" are behind accusations the 62-year-old favours younger male celebs. Kaye admits trolling from the BBC show opened her eyes to the resentment of ageing women on TV - but it didn't stop her proudly flinging her legs up in the air on top of a 27-year-old dancer.

Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has said Tony Adams "looks like he's had two lives" in a savage joke about his appearance.The 56-year-old made the comment after he was told that the former Arsenal captain was 55.During an interview with Aimee Fuller on her Monday Mile podcast, the judge was asked if he felt sorry for older contestants, such as Tony, who is now 56. Anton replied saying he didn't know how old he was, but was swiftly taken aback when the presenter informed him.He then said: "Crikey Moses! He's had a hard time, a difficult paper round that was wasn't it?"He looks like he's lived two lives, he does."James Jordan defends Tony Adams after Strictly star goes full montyAnton went on to acknowledge that they were pretty much the same age and joked that he looked younger.In response to the original question, he added that he did have sympathy for older contestants competing on the show.Despite his age, Tony didn't shy away from stripping down live on the show last weekend as he danced a Samba routine.Alongside his professional dance partner Katya Jones, he showcased his moves to You Sexy Thing from The Full Monty.Speaking after the routine, Anton said: "I reckon if I was still a professional dancer I’d be with you."It’s everything Strictly Come Dancing is and you are amazing, well done."Motsi Mabuse said she'd love to watch it again, while Craig Revel Horwood was left speechless by the performance.Head judge Shirley chimed in that while there wasn't much Samba routine, he had a "good pelvic roll".Despite being praised by fans for his efforts, the dancing duo received the lowest score of the night with 18 out of 40 points.This however didn't stop them from getting through to week four as they narrowly