Strictly Come Dancing’s Shirley Ballas confuses fans by posting and deleting a picture of herself wearing an ‘engagement ring’

SHIRLEY Ballas has confused fans by posting a picture of herself wearing an "engagement ring" before swiftly deleting it.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge was caught out Googling "Shirley Ballas engaged diamond ring" when she forgot to crop the pic shared on Instagram.

The blunder prompted fans to wonder whether she is planning to get hitched - despite not admitting she's found love.

When quizzed about the ring on the red carpet at the Pride of Britain awards this week, Shirley told the Daily Express: “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

But her agent later confirmed she's not engaged, instead saying the ring is "special" to the head judge.

When asked about romance in the past, the 58-year-old said she's "hopeless" at trying to find love - and hasn't been on a date in three years.

Shirley was married to dancer Sammy Stepford from 1980 to 1984.

She then got hitched to her second husband Corky Ballas from 1985 to 2007.

Alongside burning questions over her love life, Shirley was forced to confront online trolls who were left outraged that she sent Vick Hope home over Seann Walsh last week.

The Daily Star Sunday reports that Shirley has hit back at her critics, saying: "It's all down to the public vote and I would appreciate it if I didn't get 50,000 tweets being horrible because I sent someone home.

"Perhaps they shouldn't have been there in the first place - do you know what I'm saying?"

Disappointed Vick, 29, hinted Shirley "hated her" after losing her place in the competition.

After returning to her Capital FM Breakfast Show following her departure, her co-host Roman Kemp said: “I didn’t see it live last night, I was on the plane, I came back, I landed, my mum called me saying: ‘Why does Shirley Ballas hate Vick Hope?”’

Vick replied: “I wish I knew.”

After Roman asked if the hatred was genuine, she added: “I think I’ve got to be careful what I say here, because you never know what someone’s thinking.

“It was from week one that people were suggesting there was something there, I don’t know. It’s been consistent and Saturday night I really felt it was just weird.

“I’ve not really been spoken to like that. She relished in it.”