Strictly’s Shirley Ballas gets massively SNUBBED by fellow judge Darcey Bussell in very awkward intro moment
STRICTLY’S Shirley Ballas may not be so popular with her fellow judge Darcey Bussell at the moment – according to a very awkward moment spotted by viewers.
As the Sunday night results show began, viewers spotted Head Judge Shirley trying to enjoy a photo opp moment with the ballet star – but it didn’t go to plan as she was apparently given the cold shoulder.
The moment left fans of the BBC show wondering if there was any beef going on between the two classy ladies of the panel.
Shirley, who took over from Len Goodman as Head Judge this series, was first seen coming down the steps with Bruno Tonioli.
She then turned towards Darcey, who was approaching from the other side with Craig Revel Horwood – keeping her head firmly down.
And as Shirley tried to join hands with Darcey in the middle, she was flatly ignored.
Instead, Darcey opted to remain right beside Craig a she placed her hand on his chest – and in the background it looked as thought Claudia Winkleman had noticed this.
It seemed that Darcey, 48, had snubbed Shirley, 57 – the latter of whom has dished out her usual string of harsh comments to contestants on Saturday’s show.
But just moments before the pair were posing together backstage – so viewers were scratching their heads over the weird moment.
Though Darcey’s reluctance to stand beside Shirley may have been down to their “clashing” coloured dresses in red and pink.
This is the second major “snub” Shirley has been dealt in a few weeks after Alexandra Burke called her “Arlene” – in a dig comparing her to the former judge.
Less than an hour after Shirley and Darcey had their strange intro tonight, viewers were left devastated by yet another exit by a talented contestant.
Davood Ghadami became the tenth Strictly contestant to leave the show following a nail-biting dance-off with Alexandra.
The EastEnders star, who had performed a Phantom Of The Opera-themed Argentine Tango, just missed out on next week’s semi-finals after performing with former Playboy model Nadiya Bychkova for 11 weeks.
The soap actor, known for playing Walford hunk Kush, received a judges’ score of 29 which left him bottom of the leaderboard with Emmerdale’s Gemma Atkinson.
And on Sunday night the judges opted to ditch Davood and save former X Factor winner Alexandra – on the same night of the final of the current X Factor series.
It came 24 hours after fans tweeted that Alexandra’s high score of 39 from the judges – for her Mary Poppins Quickstep – showed “favouritism” and possible signs of a “fix”.
Speaking about his exit, the 35-year-old said: “It’s such a shame. We got so much further than I thought so it’s definitely mixed feelings here. I’m so pleased we got so far.
“I am actually quite proud of what we achieved, Nadiya and I.
“And I think maybe it’s the right time to go but it is that feeling of ‘oh we were so close to the end’.
“Things get serious the next couple of weeks for the guys that remain and I just wish them all the best and every cloud has a silver lining.
“I get to spend a bit of time with my family now, get to see Nadiya on a recreational basis rather than ‘come on let’s go and dance’,” he added.
Poor Davood was criticised heavily for his technique in Saturday’s Argentine Tango, which was his dance effort for Musicals Week.
Head Judge Shirley Ballas commented that the dance “had some spectacular lifts, but… had some stumbling points… and some balance issues”.
But Davood, who was sent support from 2016 Strictly champ Ore Oduba, said he felt this was his best dance, calling it “possessing” and a “highlight.
He added: “This was one of the highs and to go out with a bang. We didn’t want to fizzle out and we went out with a bang.”
Asked who he’d be supporting out of the remaining five dancers Gemma, Alexandra, Debbie McGee, Mollie King and Joe McFadden, Davood refused to choose.
But he said: “Whoever the winner is will be very very deserving. Everyone that’s left is a wonderful dancer…
“They’re all going to work so hard. It’s not easy this – it’s a strange thing; you have to give it your all.
“There are two more dances to tackle and I think anything can happen week by week. It’s been a good few weeks for us leading up to this and I’m sure everyone will give it their best.
“Whoever wins has my backing. They’re all brilliant.”
Strictly continues with its semi-finals on Saturday at 6.45pm on BBC One.
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