Strictly judge Shirley Ballas admits 'heartbreaking' part of show as it returns for 21st series

Bobby Brazier was supported by rarely-seen brother Freddie at Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing.The EastEnders actor, 20, son of the late Jade Goody, is impressing the judges every week with his boundless enthusiasm and dance skill and is one of the contenders to win the show. This week, 7 October, Bobby danced a samba to Young Hearts Run Free from the film version of Romeo + Juliet with his partner Dianne Buswell, 34, and they scored an impressive 32 for their Movie Week performance.

Layton Williams left fans amazed on Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing with his latest performance during Movie Week.The musical theatre star, 29, dressed in a pink shirt and long skirt to play Sandy in Grease while his professional partner Nikita Kuzmin played Danny.They danced a Viennese Waltz to There Are Worse Things I Could Do from Grease, getting a score of 28 from judges Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood. He received mixed comments, with Craig telling him he gave the dance "too much attack" while Anton gave Layton a dance masterclass on one aspect of the dance.

After delighting fans for over 20 years Strictly Come Dancing has become an annual Autumnal staple, as it brings a little glitz and glamour to the changing seasons in the run up to Christmas. Year after year, millions of us have been captivated by the phenomenal dancing abilities of some of our favourite stars, not to mention been on the edge of our seats as the judges deliver their all important scores after each performance.

Strictly Come Dancing star Nigel Harman has teased that he is 'hopeful' his character Max Cristie could return to Casualty 'in the future.' The actor, who made his debut on the BBC medical drama as Max in February, has confirmed that his contract on the show has ended, with his final scenes expected to air early next year. While it's not known exactly how he leaves, Nigel spoke to Soap Insider about how he's been filming 'moving scenes' around 'Max's health.' But he hasn't confirmed if Max will be killed off, teasing that he would love to find a way of getting him 'back to the show.' Speaking to the publication after scooping up their Soap award for Best Drama Star for his role on Casualty, he said: "It worked out that, as my contract was ending, Strictly went, 'Hello!' and I was like, 'Oh!' 'So it seemed to be the most natural thing.

Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Brendan Cole has had his say on Amanda Abbington's Salsa calling it “weird” and admitting it “doesn't excite me.” Amanda and Giovanni Pernice performed to Oye by Gloria Estefan and scored a grand total of 32 for their routine, after being an eight by the four judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke. But while the judges may have enjoyed the routine, Brendan slammed the inclusion of lifts and claimed it "fell off towards the end". He explained: "Lifts never excite me – it's not a tricky thing to do for a professional dancer so that kind of thing doesn't excite me.

Strictly Come Dancing star Nigel Harman has spoken out after receiving critical comments from one of the show's judges following his latest performance. Strictly judge Shirley Ballas came under fire on Saturday night for being 'picky' over the former EastEnders actor's performance.

Shirley Ballas has opened up about how violent and sexual messages from social media trolls left her scared to leave her home.The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 63, shared her horrific trolling experiences with former Love Island star Olivia Attwood in her new ITV documentary Olivia Attwood vs The Trolls. Recalling the worst of the trolling, Shirley said: "I’ve had people draw coffins with me in it with somebody with a spade that said, ‘Die you b***h.'" Detailing how these messages have left her afraid to leave her home, she continued: "I am talking about being in public. You worry about those same strange people that write these kinds of messages.

Strictly Come Dancing fans have accused head judge Shirley Ballas of giving out low scores to the female contestants on the show, just a year after she was hit with a sexism row.The experienced dancer gave a lower score than her fellow judges to celebrities, Anglea Rippon, Zara McDermott, and Ellie Leach on Saturday, 30 September. As Shirley gave her feedback and then her score during the show, she was booed by members of the live audience.

Les Dennis has spoken out after being eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing during last night’s show.Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, the comedian and TV presenter responded to fans who were sad to see him go so early on in the competition. One viewer said that his ousting had been the “wrong decision.” “Wrong decision. Was Les Dennis the best dancer? No.

Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has been dating boyfriend Danny Taylor for five years, but has now revealed to fans that they have an 'unconventional' relationship.The 63-year-old met 50-year-old actor Danny in panto but rumours had been doing the rounds recently that the pair had split after Shirley admitted she hadn't seen him in "months". However, the dancing judge has firmly put speculation to rest and gushed that Danny is "the kindest and nicest man" she's ever met.

Adam Thomas became teary-eyed on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday after the judges criticised his performance on the BBC One show.The ex-Emmerdale star, 35, performed a Tango to The Killers' Somebody Told Me with partner Luba Mushtuk during the second live show of the series. While the judges praised his acting skills and the 'character' he portrayed on the dance floor, they criticised his footwork and technique.

Strictly viewers slammed Shirley Ballas for her "bad cop" critique of actor Nigel Harman's performance on Saturday night.The actor, 50, danced a Viennese Waltz to Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez for week two of the competition with partner Katya Jones and received a score of 27/40 for the performance. After his high-scoring Paso Doble last week which saw him labelled as one to watch, Shirley didn't hold back with her critique of this week's dance after starting positive, saying: "Graceful arms and a lovely connection together." She then added: "Too many technical errors,” and listed off mistakes he made, saying he could do better by focusing on "simple footwork faults." But Anton said: “It was lovely, your intimacy was lovely and your storytelling was immaculate." However, he urged Nigel to take Shirley’s comments on board as he would be a better dancer for it.

Strictly Come Dancing fans say they spotted an awkward moment between EastEnders star Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell during the end credits of Saturday night's episode. Fans of the show claim they spotted the clanger after Bobby was seemingly caught getting confused about when he would next perform.

Strictly Come Dancing star Shirley Ballas has fired back at a troll on social media who questioned if she'd had 'work done' after she was hit with criticism following the first week of the new series. The BBC One dance contest's head judge was back with her scoring paddles over the weekend.

Strictly judge Shirley Ballas has fired back at a troll on social media who questioned if she'd had surgery.The 63 year old star was back on the panel of Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night, as she wowed in an off-the-shoulder pink dress, elaborate earrings and glamorous makeup. A social media user posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, accusing Shirley of marking down one of the female contestants.They wrote: "Shirley underscores a Woman, it begins ...." before someone else replied: "Has Shirley had work done?" A third then said: "A facelift I believe." But Shirley clapped back as she said: "Lol for your information No I have not.

He's known for having a bit of a sharp tongue when it comes to his critiques in the ballroom but Strictly Come Dancing fans have found themselves jumping to Craig Revel Horwood's defence as the new series kicked off.

The stars of Strictly Come Dancing have reportedly been left 'hysterical' in fears that the TV studio is 'haunted' after the first live show. Some of the show's biggest dancing stars including Dianne Buswell, Katya Jones, Nadiya Bychkova and Nancy Xu are reported to have experienced weird goings-on. Strictly is filmed at Elstree Studios in London, but the judges and dancers are said to have been left feeling uneasy after hearing strange noises and having odd experiences that are unexplainable.

Strictly Come Dancing star Bobby Brazier left his proud father in tears after his very first performance in his Saturday night debut.The 20-year-old EastEnders actor took to the floor with his pro dancer, Dianne Buswell to perform the Foxtrot. Following their dance to McFly’s ‘It’s All About You’, the judges were left very impressed. Craig Revel Horwood praised Bobby for his “frame” and “storytelling”’.

Strictly Come Dancing fans have praised Craig Revel-Horwood for this "honest" scoring and critiques following the first live show of the 2023 series, which aired on Saturday 23 September. Craig, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke are back on the judging panel for another year of Strictly.The celebrity line-up includes the likes of Adam Thomas, Bobby Brazier, Ellie Leach and Angela Scanlon. The judges' scores during Saturday's show appeared to divide viewers, with many surprisingly supporting Craig, who is regularly criticised for his harsh comments and low scores.

Zara McDermott has put the blame on her Strictly Come Dancing co-star Graziano Di Prima for her nasty injury ahead of the live shows.