Shirley Ballas has all but confirmed she will be returning to ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ this year.
The Queen Of Latin had been strongly rumoured to have signed up for a second series as Head Judge of the BBC ballroom show, with her now throwing weight behind the reports on Twitter.
After Lorraine’s showbiz reporter discussed the claims she will be returning on the ITV breakfast show, Shirley then retweeted a message of congratulations from him.
Her manager Jonathan Shalit also tweeted a link to The Sun’s story about Shirley’s rumoured return, which she also retweeted:
However, ‘Strictly’ bosses were much-more tight-lipped when contacted by HuffPost UK.
A spokesperson for the show said: “We never comment on speculation. The judges line-up for the next series will be announced in due course.”
Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Darcey Bussell are all expected to return to the panel alongside Shirley.
Her return comes after previous speculation she might not be asked back, after proving divisive with viewers.
She also clashed with professional dancer Brendan Cole on last year’s series, having beaten him to replace Len Goodman as Head Judge.
Brendan has since been axed from the pro line-up, and he later admitted the row could have cost him his job.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, he said he regretted the way he handled the situation after calling Shirley “my dear”.
“I don’t know if that was handled the right way on air. If you disagree with somebody, which I did that particular day about the way she felt we danced the tango, you have the right to say what I did.
“I didn’t get aggressive. I said: ‘Well, I disagree’ ... Then Bruno stepped in and said his piece, that I should be more respectful, which I still don’t get. But what I certainly regret is saying: ‘I will, my dear.’”
‘Strictly Come Dancing’ returns to BBC One in the autumn.
