Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has hinted that some professional dancers get intimate moments before they go on stage.
The head judge, 63, appeared on the Comfort Eating podcast with Grace Dent to promote her debut crime novel: Murder on the Dance Floor.
She said readers will be treated to a world of “sex, lies and bed-hopping”, based on what she has experienced in the world of competitive dance.
Ballas said about her book: “It’s a wondrous world of what goes on behind the scenes. It’s either things I’ve been part of, or things I’ve seen.
“You will have to guess when you read the book. But it’s pretty real to life, I would say. Some of it takes part in Whitby in the closet, before we even get to Blackpool.
“Then they fix their knickers and go on and do their cha cha cha.”
When asked if dancers really have sex moments before performing, the judge said: “Of course that’s what they do.
“Some of these stories are from the teenage years... bam, bam, bam. A little bit of a shimmy. Yes, it goes on.”
It comes just days after Ballas spoke out about experiencing death threats online.
She said that receiving sinister messages including “pictures of coffins” from trolls have left her paranoid that people are “lurking in dark corners or hiding behind walls” attempting to hurt her.
Appearing on new show Olivia Attwood vs The Trolls, Ballas said: “I’ve had people draw coffins with me in it with somebody with a spade that said, ‘Die you b***h’.
“It’s when it is personal about myself and my family and it affects my mental health. I am not just talking about your phone.”
She added: “I am talking about being in public. You worry about those same strange people that write these kinds of messages.
“Are they lurking in dark corners? Are they hiding behind walls when you go somewhere?”
Ballas went on to say that while she feels that she can never relax because of the messages, she also has a degree of sympathy for those responsible.
“Sometimes at night, I lie there and wonder, ‘Are they suffering? Are they lonely? Is it funny to them?’” she explained.
“This whole experience has made me much more vigilant. I cannot say that I leave my front door unless I am on point. I never relax. It has changed my life completely I would say.”
