Shirley Ballas addresses rumours that she could be axed from Strictly after viewers' fury

express.co.uk:

Shirley Ballas, 62, has been forced to fend off rumours that she is imminently expected to be axed from Strictly Come Dancing.The head judge took to Instagram to clarify how she really feels about claims that she is due to get the sack, following a backlash she has received from some viewers over favouritism claims towards the BBC show's male contestants.There was an online furore recently after Shirley was accused of expressing favouritism towards the male celebs, and could even get a bit flirtatious - something that Will Mellor has cheerily admitted he reciprocates if it could get him one step closer to the final.However, she insists that there is no truth in the rumours that she might be getting fired, in spite of a magazine cover suggesting otherwise, declaring the claim an "absolute load of rubbish"."Sells papers, I guess! @bbcstrictly," she groaned in her Instagram Story, in view of her 244,000 followers.Meanwhile, Shirley was also in the mood for publicly celebrating the long stint she'd had in the dancing world, musing: "Huge thank you to my legs for carrying me through dance for over 60 years."By the time she was three, Strictly's head judge was already showing an aptitude for ballet, while she began dancing competitively before she so much as reached double figures.Former Strictly panellist Len Goodman was one of her judges in these contests - and she went on to win the Latin American Championships no less than three times.Her supporters are right behind her - but she has experienced criticism from fans over beliefs that she unfairly prioritises male contestants.It was suggested that she regularly swooned over attractive men, calling Will "easy on the eye", while some fans were left devastated earlier this.