Shirley Ballas Faces Accusations of Sexism
Shirley Ballas, the head judge of Strictly Come Dancing, has once again found herself at the center of a sexism row. Last night, Ballas eliminated Annabel Croft from the competition, denying her a spot in the final. This comes after previous accusations of Ballas marking down female contestants throughout the series.
Annabel Croft Voted Off
Annabel Croft, 57, who was a favorite to win, was voted off the show along with her professional partner Johannes Radebe. They competed against EastEnders actor Bobby Brazier, 20, and Dianne Buswell, 34. While fellow judges Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke voted to save Bobby, Craig Revel Horwood supported Annabel and Johannes. Ultimately, Shirley Ballas used her casting vote to save Bobby and send Annabel home.
Shirley Ballas Justifies Her Decision
On the show, Shirley Ballas explained her decision, saying, "I thought both couples were absolutely extraordinary. I felt that both couples lifted their performance. I thought there were technical qualities on both sides, improvements galore. But again, one tiny mistake coming out of a pivot turn — and therefore my decision would be to save Bobby and Dianne."
Previous Controversies
This is not the first time Shirley Ballas has faced criticism for her decisions on the show. In the past, she gave low scores to former newsreader Angela Rippon, former Coronation Street star Ellie Leach, and media personality Zara McDermott. Last year, she was also criticized for choosing to save BBC TV and radio personality Richie Anderson instead of singer-songwriter Fleur East.
Finalists Revealed
Bobby Brazier will now go on to compete in the Strictly final, which airs next Saturday on BBC1. The other finalists include Ellie and Vito Coppola, as well as Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin.
Only Craig Revel Horwood voted to keep Annabel in the competition.
