Shirley Ballas says you need a "great sense of humour" and stealth "work ethic" to compete on 'Strictly Come Dancing'.
Shirley Ballas says celebrities have to be prepared for long hours and hard graft on 'Strictly'
The head judge of the BBC One Latin and ballroom show - which returned to screens on Saturday (14.09.24) - has spoken out on how challenging the programme is for the celebrities, who have very little time to rehearse their routines before performing them in front of millions of viewers, amid the bullying scandal surrounding the long-running show.
Speaking to OK! Magazine, she said: "What people need to understand is that you have a short space of time to get this routine out in front of a live audience of 15 million. It's not like we can have a cup of tea and a sandwich for four hours of practice. We need to dedicate our time for these short three months, be focused and put our best steps forward. The teacher will be there for you, but the teacher's got a job to do. That teacher has to have you ready within a week with a brand new dance, and later on in the competition, possibly two dances if you're going further."
She warned: "You need a great sense of humour, then you have to come with a great work ethic and really be able to pay attention to the teacher. Any competition is never always about technical fundamentals, it's about the joy that one can bring to a TV show like this. Whether it's simple, whether it's complicated, the audience will pick up on that soul. I hope everybody brings a dash of sparkle to our Strictly screens."
'Strictly' was rocked by alleged misconduct claims, with Graziano Di Prima dropped from the show after allegedly being violent towards Zara McDermott, while Amanda Abbington and others have complained about Giovanni Pernice's teaching methods.
However, Shirley is hopeful the show will continue to bring "joy" to viewers for many years to come.
She added: "I hope it runs forever and ever and ever, and that the next generation of people get to experience what I've experienced. Whether it be a professional or a celebrity or a new panel of judges, I hope they have the same joyous feeling I've been able to have in the last eight years."
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