Shirley Ballas has broken her silence on suggestions she may not return to Strictly Come Dancing as head judge following horrific online trolling.
The 62-year-old dance professional was asked whether she would be returning to the show when she appeared on Monday's edition of This Morning.
Sitting on the famous blue sofa to talk about her new romance book, Murder on the Dance Floor, Shirley was asked about the upcoming season by host Holly Willoughby : "You're not thinking of not being there?"
Shirley didn’t confirm or deny the rumours, instead revealing she was waiting for her invitation to return to the show.
She said: "Well, we're waiting for that invitation and once it gets there and we sort out... I love the job, I love the actual critiquing.
“I love to get tips and help people along the way, to move forward to be beautiful dancers and all that they can be."
Last week, Mirror Online exclusively revealed that Shirley may never return to the panel after online trolls made her life hell.
She was shaken by hate jibes and, while talks are ongoing, is yet to sign for a new series.
She confessed that the abuse left her “crying and emotional”.
The head judge said she was in tears and at “an all-time low” as hate messages poured in after every show in the last series.
Irate fans questioned her decisions, accused her of ageism and sexism, and took cruel swipes at her appearance.
And Shirley admitted to us that while she loves her job, she is hesitant about returning this year after “hugely struggling” with the toll.
The BBC star explained on This Morning that due to the online trolling, someone would be stepping in to monitor her social media accounts.
"This year, I've got a wonderful gentleman called Harry Surplus who is doing my social media and he's getting rid of any of those messages," she said. "My son checks over everything because it really did take a little toll on my mental health for a minute.
"What I'm realising is everybody gets it, I'm not the only one."
Last week, she told Mirror Online that she suffered in silence while the abuse was happening last year.
"I was struggling,” she admitted. “It wasn't just a little bit, it was a lot – the majority of it was in silence.”
"I felt the abuse snowballed out of control and impacted me in such a negative way. I'm a pretty stoic person, and I tend to hold everything in. When it all kicked off, it seemed like it was larger than anything else."
She continued: "I was crying, I was emotional, but I was embarrassed about being so emotional. I didn't want to talk to anybody about it.
"And that was an all-time low since I joined the show – it was the most negativity I’d ever experienced. The BBC were brilliant, checking in on me and offering counselling and support."
