Strictly’s Craig Revel Horwood hits back at a troll after they brand him ‘unfriendly’

Strictly Come Dancing star Craig Revel Horwood hit back at a troll on Twitter on Thursday after they criticized his behavior during a theater show.

The outspoken judge, 58, responded to the user’s claim that he was “unfriendly” when they met him at The SpongeBob Musical.

The troll tweeted, “Just met you in the lobby to see Spongebob Squarepants. You really don’t care about your fans. At least could have been friendlier.’

But Craig hit back and insisted he post for snaps with a slew of snaps featuring fans following the musical.

Craig responded to the tweet, writing, “Hi Lynette, I’m sorry you feel this way. I stopped, talked and had pictures with at least 30 people at intervals. I hope you enjoyed the show sweetheart!’

Outraged: The outspoken judge responded to the user’s claim that he was ‘unfriendly’ when they met him at The SpongeBob Musical

It comes after Strictly Come Dancing was thrown into chaos, as the show’s professional dancers have now criticized the judges for demanding a huge pay rise.

Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke are reportedly seeking an 11 per cent salary increase ahead of the new season of the BBC dance competition show.

Chief Judge Shirley is reportedly already earning £500,000, Motsi and Craig are raking in £200,000, while Anton is reportedly earning £180,000.

But despite hours of training, the dancers – including Giovanni Pernice, Dianne Buswell and Johannes Radebe – are paid a lump sum of around £35,000 for their work on the programme.

The dancers have now apparently taken to their group chat on WhatsApp in the wake of the news to beat the judges and are also considering asking for a raise.

That’s what an insider told me The sun: “The pros seething. They work their asses off for three months out of the year, while the judges walk in on Saturdays, watch fun dances and voice their thoughts.

‘A few dancers came up with the idea of ​​protesting themselves.

“But they are well aware that there is a crisis in the cost of living and they all love and value their jobs.”

Angry: Craig hit back and insisted he post for snaps featuring a slew of snaps with fans following the musical in Birmingham

So much colour! The exchange took place after a performance of The Spongebob, starring Gareth Gates

Different! The former Pop Idol star plays Squidward in the eclectic show

How many? It comes after Strictly Come Dancing was thrown into chaos as the show’s professional dancers have now criticized the judges for demanding a huge pay rise

BBC bosses are also ‘hot with anger’ after the demand for a salary increase.

According to a report by The sun on Wednesday, the BBC is ‘steadfast’ against the judges and the pay row means the two groups are reportedly deadlocked.

A BBC source told the Daily Mail: ‘While there is always negotiation when new contracts are signed every year, this is something different.

“Their jobs are some of the very best on television and they are already paid very well for their work, so when these negotiations started this time there was shock and anger.

‘It’s also not the case that they work behind the scenes like the professional dancers do. They show up, get their makeup done, and get in front of the camera.

“The professional dancers work tirelessly for weeks on end, working their ass off for smidging what the judges already earn, let alone what they want to earn.

“You would think they would know they work for the BBC and they are essentially paid by the British public through the license fee.”

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and BBC spokespersons for further comment.

This comes after Shirley reportedly got a ‘take it or leave it’ deal from strict bosses to stay on the show, after she revealed she could stop trolling online.

The chief judge and Latin expert faced a lot of criticism last year in which trolls criticized her decisions and accused her of ageism and sexism.

But despite previous threats to quit, Shirley has been in talks with bosses about a possible return to Strictly, revealing on Sunday’s Jonathan Ross show that “their people are talking to my people.”

Shirley joined the jury as chief judge in 2017, following the departure of Len Goodman.

The ‘Queen of Latin’ has reportedly received a pay rise in line with her fellow judges Craig, Motsi and Anton.

That’s what a TV insider said The sun“The show’s team cares deeply about Shirley’s well-being and will continue to do everything they can to mitigate the effects of what is said on social media.

“But they are also very aware that we are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis and a license fee freeze and it is against this whole backdrop that the deal was presented to Shirley.

“No one wants her to walk, but Strictly has proven throughout history that no one is bigger than the show.”

Shirley recently hinted that she may not return to Strictly Come Dancing this year after the deluge of vicious online abuse she received during the last series.

Not impressed: BBC bosses claim the stars can make huge sums of money outside of the show, thanks to the massive platform their performance on Strictly provides

In a candid interview, she indicated that the previous series may have been her last, as she had hit an “all-time low” after the abuse “got out of hand.”

The ballroom dancer shared how she was constantly left in tears and struggled in silence after each show, telling that it was “the most negativity” she had ever experienced.

She told the Mirror: ‘Last year I had a hard time. It wasn’t a little bit, it was a lot – most of it was in silence. I felt the abuse spiraled out of control and affected me in such a negative way. I’m quite a stoic person and I tend to keep everything inside.’

She explained that when the abuse started, it seemed “bigger than anything else,” with the star talking about how it left her “crying and emotional,” as she was “embarrassed” by how she felt and didn’t confide in anyone.