Shirley Ballas doesn't think there is any "friction" between her and Brendan Cole.

Shirley Ballas

Shirley Ballas

The 'Strictly Come Dancing' judge was blamed by fans for the professional dancer getting the axe from this year's line up after he got into a war of words with her over his choreography in the last series, but she's adamant she didn't mean anything by her comments and was merely giving him advice to improve the following week.

Speaking on 'Good Morning Britain' on Thursday (17.05.18), she said: "Actually it was constructive criticism, in order for them to get better the following week. Unfortunately, a certain member took it the wrong way.

"First of all, there was no friction between Brendan and I.

"I've known Brendan a very, very long time and how Brendan likes to conduct himself is his business, but for me there was no friction. I was there to do a job, I did it."

The 57-year-old dance teacher - who was hired as Len Goodman's head judge replacement last year - was also accused of picking on Brendan's partner Charlotte Hawkins, but she's adamant that she thought the blonde beauty was "talented."

She explained: "I thought she was extremely talented. I tried to express that perhaps the choreography was a little difficult at the beginning, but unfortunately he took it the wrong way. I thought she was a lovely lady and extremely talented."

Shirley will return to screens this autumn alongside her fellow panellists Bruno Tonioli, Darcey Bussell and Craig Revel-Horwood and has admitted she'd love bosses to explore the opportunity of having same-sex couples take part in the show.

She explained: "In Italy at the moment they're just about to have the final of the Italian version of 'Strictly' and I was just informed that a same-sex couple, two men, made the final. So I will be following that. I think it's spectacular, I think things are changing, and I couldn't think of anything more exciting - and yes, I'm for it."

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