Fans of Strictly Come Dancing have voiced their disapproval of head judge Shirley Ballas for her scoring of contestant Ellie Leach in the show's grand final. This is not the first time Ballas has faced accusations of "sexism" during this series.
Accusations of sexism
Despite Ellie Leach and her partner Vito Coppola being crowned the champions of Strictly 2023, fans believe that Ballas unfairly deducted points from Leach's performance and gave a perfect score to another contestant, Layton Williams.
During Leach's second routine, Ballas praised the difficulty of the routine but only gave her a score of nine, despite claiming she would have given her a perfect score if she had a "20 paddle".
Fans call out sexism
Fans took to social media to express their discontent with Ballas' scoring, with some accusing her of sexism. One fan questioned whether Ballas had lost her "10 paddle", while another called her "evil" for promising a perfect score and then giving a lower score instead. Another fan highlighted the apparent discrepancy between Ballas' comments and her scores throughout the season.
Past controversies
This is not the first time Ballas has faced criticism for her scoring decisions. In the semi-final, she sparked a sexism row by eliminating tennis player Annabel Croft despite the support of fellow judges. In previous seasons, Ballas has also faced backlash for giving lower scores to certain contestants.
Strictly denies conspiracy theories
Strictly Come Dancing has dismissed any conspiracy theories suggesting that the judges' scoring is influenced by factors other than the contestants' dancing abilities. A show source stated that the judges are experienced professionals who judge solely based on dance.
Despite the controversy, Ellie Leach emerged as the fan-favorite and won the competition.
