Strictly 's head judge Shirley Ballas has hit back at allegations of sexism after saying that she would have saved Richie Anderson over Fleur East at the weekend.
The judge, 62, was hit with a wave of anger from fans over some of her critical comments about the female celebs at the weekend, particularly of Ellie Taylor.
Even pro dancer Nikita Kuzmin appeared to call out Shirley over the remarks, while some viewers even demanded Shirley was sacked.
After the weekend, Shirley took to social media to ask fans for "respect" after receiving hundreds of hurtful messages.
Appearing on Loose Women, Shirley rejected claims that she gave better marks and critique to the men on the show, pointing out that she would have saved Kaye Adams over Matt Goss in the second week.
"It builds up from the beginning, there was a lot of trolling, " she told the panellists. "Sometimes when you watch your TV screen, you only see half of what I'm seeing."
Responding directly to the sexism allegations, she said: "I have to judge what I like... it's a tough industry and it always get a bit emotional.
"I do read everything [online] but I think it's quite important... it is really hurtful, some of the language is so explicit, it's unfathomable."
She explained that while the nasty comments made her "resilient", a "wall goes up".
Shirley insisted that she "doesn't have a mean bone in [her] body" and that her comments come from 45 years of experience in the tough dancing world.
Asked why she chose Richie over Fleur, Shirley said that despite Samba being a "really difficult dance", his footwork was "beautiful" and something she would have expected in week six.
It comes after Shirley shared her difficult few days with followers on Twitter, writing: "I have received many apologies over the weekend regarding hurtful messages I’ve received on social media.
"All apologies are accepted and from now on let’s all respect each other and enjoy the show. Love to you all" followed by a red heart emoji.
Some fans replied to Shirley's tweet to send her messages of support as one wrote: "Aw Shirley so sorry you getting these people saying things. I know it’s not the answer always but I say to my kids if you can say anything nice then don’t say anything at all! I’ve always found it works. Some people don’t realise what may not upset them can upset others!"
"Well. Glad you have been getting apologies. There is no need for such horrible behaviour from supposed "fans" of the show. Hiding behind screens is the problem, they would never say it to your face," another added.
A third wrote: "I'm glad people apologised to you. Social media is rubbish sometimes. Your dress was gorgeous on Saturday by the way. You looked stunning. XxX".
*Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV
