Shirley Ballas hires assistant to sort through cruel abusive messages

18 October 2023 , 10:54

1282     0

Shirley has previously opened up about the abusive messages which are sent to her (Image: BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing's Shirley Ballas, has revealed that she's hired a personal assistant to help filter out the abusive messages she receives online.

The 63-year-old former competitive dancer, who is currently judging the 21st series of the BBC One show, has previously spoken about her experiences with online trolls. During an appearance on Channel 5 News, Shirley was asked if she's become better at dealing with the harsh comments on social media. In her chat with Dan Walker, who placed fifth on Strictly in 2021, she said: "I think with the social media, yes. "

She added: "This year I've taken on Harry as a PA, and also syphons through all those really unbelievable messages that you couldn't even repeat to a human being." Ballas further discussed how challenging it can be to avoid these hateful messages, saying: "Unfortunately they come up, you know, if you're scrolling or you're looking or, you know, when I did my Sky challenges for Calm, they come up and I'm trying to help people as well, so I don't want to just ignore all the good people, 'cause there's more good people than bad people."

Shirley Ballas has revealed she's employed somebody to go through the abuse she receives (Channel 5)

Shirley previously revealed that she almost quit Strictly due to the abuse she received from online trolls.

Speaking to The Times, Shirley said the trolling she received "snowballed out of control" and she was left in floods of tears after every show. Recalling some of the messages, she said: "Just, how ugly you are and how fat you are, and how you've got horrible arms, and, 'You don't like men. You don't like women. You don't like Black men. You don't like Black women.'

EastEnders' Jake Wood's snap of son has fans pointing out the pair's likeness

Shirley previously told the Mirror that both Harry, 21, and her son often go through her social media and added: "If that's what it takes, then so be it."

"And then once it starts steamrolling, it goes even further, and then it gets personal, about your being, how you look."

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Daniel Bird