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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Tom Bryant

Strictly's Shirley Ballas says she's not afraid to face off with her trolls in person

Strictly 's Shirley Ballas says she is not afraid of taking on the trolls face to face on her nationwide tour.

The star says she expects her detractors to be among the audience as she travels up and down the country for a series of one-woman shows.

She says: "I am hoping for a fun, entertaining evening with lots of audience participation and any question that you have always wanted to ask.

"And I invite all the trolls as well, it is their major opportunity."

She confessed she is ready to open up about everything in her life, on the Evening with Shirley Ballas shows.

Shirley is heading off on a one-woman tour (BBC)

She admits: "Nothing is (off limits). I am not worried about that at all. What kind of questions can someone ask?"

Speaking last October, she spoke of the trolling she endured when she took over from Len Goodman.

"The first year was very difficult. I still remember somebody said that 'she had a chest like a seville orange. It looks like it's been eaten a thousand slugs - die you b****!'

"I remember expressions like that I can recite them. And after the first year once you get over it and you learn to take everything with a sense of humour and I have to consider how that person is feeling in order to write such a comment.

She says she'd invite her trolls along (PA)

"So I tried to do that."

Her Strictly colleague Giovanni Pernice earlier this year urged social media sites to do more to combat trolls after the talent contest's head judge was sent vile online death threats.

It came after Ballas was targeted when she eliminated him and his celebrity partner, Ranvir Singh, from the BBC1 show's semi-final.

The professional dancer said: "These trolls are really, really bad. The companies should do more and control that side of it."

Shirley with her fellow Strictly Come Dancing judges (PA)

Giovanni, 30, also hit out at the people who bombarded Shirley with hate messages.

He said: "I don't understand why people at home wish to get that involved. Absolutely, get sad or upset - I can understand that.

"But saying to Shirley, 'You have to die' because she didn't save Ranvir - that's too much. There's a difference between, 'You have to die' and 'I don't agree with your decision'."

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