Strictly’s Shirley Ballas on air just before finding out Len Goodman died

Strictly’s head judge Shirley Ballas appeared on Good Morning Britain just minutes before she learned her predecessor Len Goodman had died. 

Ms Ballas had been invited on the show on Monday morning to talk about returning to the dance series later this year.  

The news of Goodman’s death from bone cancer at age 78 comes as a shock to his legions of fans, who were not aware that he was ill.

Goodman was head judge on the much-loved BBC dance show for 12 years from 2004-2016, after which Ms Ballas, 62, took over a year later.

Appearing on GMB on Monday, Ms Ballas addressed rumours that she might not be returning to Strictly Come Dancing amid a pay dispute with the BBC and a spate of online attacks from trolls last year. 

Heartbreaking: Strictly’s head judge Shirley Ballas discussed returning to the show live on air on Good Morning Britain on Monday just minutes before finding out Len Goodman had died aged 78

A huge loss: Goodman passed away after a short battle with bone cancer – his fans had no idea he was even ill 

But she insisted she is going to make a return despite attacks by trolls online last year, saying: ‘You have to make choices and decisions. It took me a minute after last year’s trolling.

‘People would write things. But this year I have a man managing my social media as well as my son. I’m optimistic and hopeful. But this year it will be filtered before it gets to me.’

It comes after Ms Ballas hinted that she may not return to Strictly Come Dancing this year following the torrent of vile online abuse she received during the last series.

The head judge was subjected to harsh online criticism, who questioned her judgments on the show and accused her of ageism and sexism.

She told The Mirror: ‘Last year I was struggling. It wasn’t just a little bit, it was a lot – the majority of it was in silence. I felt the abuse snowballed out of control and impacted me in such a negative way. I’m a pretty stoic person, and I tend to hold everything in.’

On Monday’s GMB, Ms Ballas also discussed her first novel, Murder On The Dancefloor, saying: ‘When I wrote my autobiography, there were things I couldn’t include.

’90 per cent [of this book] is fiction that I either saw or was part of.

‘My mum’s read it and re-written the end, because she wanted it to be more powerful. It’s fiction but 90 per cent of it’s true.’

During the interview, Ms Ballas insisted that she had not argued with BBC bosses about pay. 

She said: ‘There was no arguing with the BBC about pay. We are in a cost of living crisis. It’s absolutely not true. There’s no pay rises, there’s no arguing.

‘We are vigilant about the nurses [on strike] and the cost of living crisis. I don’t know where these leaks come from.’

Moving forward: The TV appearance came days after Strictly Come judges reportedly backed down amid their pay row with BBC bosses

Agreement: The judges are said to have accepted an offer of between 3 and 5 per cent

Dance icon: Goodman was head judge on the show for 12 years from 2005-2016 

Last week it was revealed that the Strictly Come Dancing judges had reportedly backed down amid their pay row with BBC bosses.

Ms Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke were allegedly looking to receive an 11 per cent salary rise ahead of the BBC dance competition show‘s new season.

But according to The Sun they accepted an offer of between 3 and 5 per cent, although Ms Ballas told GMB there were no pay rises. 

Ms Ballas is reportedly already earning £500,000, Miss Mabuse and Revel Horwood earn in £200,000, while Du Beke is believed to be on £180,000. 

‘There was a real stand off between the judges and the Beeb on this issue, with neither side willing to budge for weeks,’ The Sun reported. 

‘Thankfully they reached this resolution and are now breathing a sigh of relief and able to look forward to the new series.

‘The show simply felt that curing a cost of living crisis, and at a time when the licence fee has been frozen, they couldn’t justify an 11 per cent rise.’

The insider added that those involved with the show began to feel like the pay row was becoming a distraction from the upcoming 21st series this autumn.

Smiles: Appearing on GMB, Shirley had said she was always going to come back to the show, despite talk of a stand-off with BBC bosses over a pay rise

‘You have to make choices and decisions. It took me a minute after last year’s trolling,’ she said

Strictly’s Shirley Ballas on air just before finding out Len Goodman died
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