Shirley Ballas was sent a vile death threat while she was doing panto.

Shirley Ballas

Shirley Ballas

The 60-year-old TV star - who is best known as the head judge on 'Strictly Come Dancing' - received a letter showing her digging her own grave, and was told that she was hated across Britain.

Shirley said: "More recently, a death threat was delivered by hand to where I was appearing in pantomime.

"This one showed a figure of me digging my own grave, with the message, 'Do you realise how much you are hated? The country hates you. How did they ever give a job to someone like you, you old witch.' "

However, Shirley feels that her tough upbringing and experience of bullying, as well as the setbacks she's survived in her professional life, have helped her to cope with the death threat.

The dancer feels she's become "as hard as a hob-nailed boot".

She explained: "What these people don't realise is I come from a tough housing estate, and I've spent many years being bullied in my industry.

"So I've developed an exterior shell as hard as a hob-nailed boot."

During her time on 'Strictly', Shirley has also become a target for social media trolls.

But the dancer refuses to lash out, due to fears the trolls may be vulnerable like her brother David, who took his own life 17 years ago.

According to The Sun newspaper, Shirley - who became the head judge on 'Strictly' in 2017 - wrote in her 'Behind The Sequins' memoir: "If I can do good for someone by reacting like this, then I feel I'm doing my bit to protect and honour his legacy.

"It's my way of trying to create something positive out of the biggest sorrow of my life."