Shirley Ballas has spoken out after being inundated with "hurtful messages" after fans of Strictly Come Dancing called for her to be sacked.
The head judge, 62, sparked outrage when she said she would have saved Richie Anderson and Giovanni Pernice instead of Fleur East and Vitto Coppola in the dance-off on Sunday. She also angered people further with her critical comments of Ellie Taylor.
While watching the show, fans posted on Twitter making calls for Shirley to be "removed from the judging panel." They said that she was setting a "bad example" with "outdated and sexist" views.
READ MORE: BBC Strictly's Fleur East posts statement after dance-off against Richie Anderson
One user wrote: "Shirley Ballas should be removed from the panel, she’s setting a bad example, she cannot celebrate the young, female celebrities. Her views are outdated and sexist. Please let this be her last year, or preferably week on, #Strictly".
Another user, named John, said: "About time the BBC removed Shirley Ballas. She would’ve saved Richie. It’s a DANCE competition but she votes for her favourites. #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly"
Meanwhile, a third said: "Well they sacked the wonderful Arlene Phillips at a similar age to the age Shirley Ballas is now so [fingers crossed] it won’t be too long!!"
The judge has since revealed that she has received apologies for 'hurtful messages'. Taking to Twitter, she wrote: "I have received many apologies over the weekend regarding hurtful messages I’ve received on social media."
The judge decided to put the harsh criticism behind her as she said: "All apologies are accepted and from now on let’s all respect each other and enjoy the show. Love to you all."
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