Shirley Ballas has publically clapped back at a troll who cruelly commented on her dancer son. The Strictly Come Dancing star has faced her own struggles in recent weeks having come under fire from viewers of the BBC One dance contest.
Over the weekend, after getting the name wrong of dancer Dianne Buswell for a second time during the live show, fans lashed out at the head judge leading to Dianne pleading for people to 'be kind' in a statement posted on social media.
Taking to her Instagram Dianne, who is partnered with Kiss FM DJ Tyler West on the hit show, penned: "'Firstly thank you guys so much for all the support on our dance last night. It was a tough week but I am forever in awe of the hard work and dedication Tyler brings every single week.
"Another point want to address is I have seen a lot of hateful comments aimed at Shirley for simply adding an a to the end of my name which doesn't offend me, but what does make me upset is seeing someone being bullied online."
The Australian dancer added: "We are all human and doing the best we can. Let's all please be kind to one another and not put each other down. Once again thank you for all your positive messages it really does mean a lot to us all." Shirley also shared the post, with no comment, to her own Instagram Story.
But now, Shirley is speaking out in defence of her own son, Mark, who is currently competing on Dancing With The Stars in the US and is paired up with TikTok star Charli D’Amelio. One viewer tweeted: "Unpopular opinion: Charli is great but she bores me. Like we know you can dance, but gives us something else," to which a cruel troll then replied: "Exactly. Charli is BORING! And Mark with that dirty long hair and being given the ringer of the season. Thanks but no."
And their tweet clearly caught the eye of Shirley, who quickly took the opportunity to hit back on her own Twitter page. Sharing the post, she added: "You have children? Your message is not constructive in any way. Attacking a person’s appearance that’s my son you’re talking about."
She went on: "Dirty hair? And how would you know that?” Disgusting and not setting an example when it comes to a person’s looks, keep your comments to dance thank you." Shirley was quickly flooded with support including from former Strictly contestant Michelle Visage.
The Ru Paul's Drag Race star replied: "Not with your breath Shirley. Your boy is absolutely SMASHING IT and Charli looks unbelievable!!! See them in the final!"
It comes after Shirley revealed in a recent interview that she has even been urged by her partner Danny Taylor, 49, to "take a break" from work to prioritise her own mental health. Speaking to The Mirror about her struggles, Shirley said: "I’ve been trained from a very young age that you just get on with it, no matter how you’re feeling, but lately I’ve had a few cracks in that smile.
"I'm not always managing and I'm questioning myself. My boyfriend Danny even said that he'd noticed a difference in my mental health and emotional state. He said, 'I think you’re ready for a break.' I’m taking three weeks off at Christmas. I need to take care of myself a little bit more."
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