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Fleur East has defended Shirley Ballas amid the Strictly Come Dancing sexism row, claiming the chief judge’s brutal trolling is “truly unfair”.
The 62-year-old TV judge revealed during Sunday night’s dance-off that she had chosen to save radio star Richie Anderson over the singer, despite Fleur getting a better score for her performance.
And in the wake of Shirley facing a barrage of criticism for her choice, and over her alleged “sexist” comments on the show, Fleur, 34, has come to defend the Queen of Latin.
Speaking: Fleur East has defended Shirley Ballas amid Strictly Come Dancing sexism row, claiming chief judge’s brutal trolling is ‘truly unfair’
The former X Factor star spoke of her shock at the criticism Shirley received, adding that she had “the utmost respect” for her and the other judges.
She said the mirror of the response: ‘Oh my god, I couldn’t believe it. There is a lot of heat in the cha cha chat room. And I actually think it’s very unfair.’
She added: “I have the utmost respect for all judges. But Shirley… if you haven’t seen her dance, she’s incredible. So every time I stand there I’m like ‘Just give me the notes, what should I do?’
Response: The 62-year-old TV judge revealed during Sunday night’s dance-off that she chose to save radio star Richie Anderson over the singer, despite Fleur getting a better score
On narrowly avoiding being sent home alongside pro partner Vito Coppola, Fleur noted: “It was a rough Sunday night. It was terrible, it was bittersweet. The jury chose to save me, but it was the worst feeling ever. Yet I live, I still stand, I survived.’
Sunday night, the audience saw the Uptown Funk singer voice in the dance along with Radio 2 star Richie, 35.
While Shirley’s three co-judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton u Beke voted to save Fleur, Shirley admitted she would have saved Richie.
In addition to claims that she prefers male participants on the show, Shirley has been accused of having “favorites, whether they have ability or not,” with many arguing that Fleur had been the superior dancer to Richie.
Saying her: In the wake of Shirley facing a barrage of criticism for her choice, and over her alleged “sexist” comments on the show, Fleur, 34, has come to defend the Queen of Latin
Defense: Oh my god, I couldn’t believe it. There is a lot of heat in the cha cha chat room. And I think it’s really unfair, actually’
She has also been attacked for flirty comments about male contestants after she described Will Mellor as “easy on the eye.”
Fans have since defended the TV personality against the “uber awake” brigade, pointing out that her role on the show is to be a judge and critique to help the celebrities improve.
Shirley is a three-time Latin American Champion, ten-time American Latin American Champion and multiple British National Champion, and many fans point to her extensive experience in defending the star.
Difficult: ‘It was a tough Sunday evening. It was terrible, it was bittersweet. The jury chose to save me, but it was the worst feeling ever. Yet I live, I still stand, I survived’
Meanwhile, Shirley appeared on Wednesday’s episode of Loose Women, insisting Shirley “I don’t have a mean bone in my body,” while calling out the “hurtful” and “explicit” comments online.
“There’s been a lot of backlash and trolling,” Shirley told the Loose Women panel.
“I appreciate that the audience has been there for twenty years,” she continued, “but if you look at a screen, you can only see half of what I see, the feet and everything. I like that they have an opinion, but then it goes too far and it’s not fun.’
“It’s a hard industry and it’s been a hard industry all my life,” she said before her voice broke, admitting, “I’m getting emotional already.”
Saved: Shirley, who landed the main jury role in 2017, is at the center of a new regular role as Twitter users demand she be fired for criticizing the series’ celebrities
Out: Sunday evening the public saw singer Fleur East in the dance-off together with Radio 2 star Richie Anderson. While Shirley’s three co-judges voted to save Fleur, Shirley admitted she would have saved Richie.
Saturdays are the ultimate job. I read everything. I know people say no, but I think it’s very important. I like to think that I have helped so many people over the years, people with psychological problems.’
“But it’s really hurtful, some language is so explicit I couldn’t even retweet it, it’s unfathomable.”
It comes when friends of the ballroom champion insist that she won’t let trolls force her out of a job she loves.
They also pointed out that last Saturday, Shirley’s average score for the seven women was 7.2 out of ten, while that for men was a 6.7, giving the show’s youngest star Molly Rainford, 21, a nine out of ten. .
One told the Daily Mail: ‘There is no way Shirley will let the trolls win this, she has absolutely no intention of leaving Strictly.
Emotional: Shirley appeared on Wednesday’s episode of Loose Women, insisting ‘I don’t have a mean bone in my body’ as she shouted the ‘hurtful’ comments online
Trolls: “There has been a lot of resistance and trolling,” Shirley told the Loose Women panel. ‘I’ve read everything and it hurts so much’
“While these people are entitled to their opinions, she is not sexist and she is proud to be the main jury and believes that the contestants deserve to be honest, and she is.
“And as for those comments to handsome men, Shirley is on an entertainment show. She’s there to let viewers enjoy what they see, it’s as simple as that.’
The star, who replaced Len Goodman on the Strictly panel in 2017, revealed today that some of the trolls had reached out to say sorry after their messages to her.
She tweeted: “I’ve been getting a lot of apologies over the past weekend for hurtful messages I received on social media. All apologies have been accepted and from now on let’s all respect each other and enjoy the show. Love to all of you.’
Stay put: It comes when friends of the ballroom champ insist she won’t let trolls force her out of a job she loves