Worried Strictly Come Dancing fans have issued pleas to Shirley Ballas following her recent heartbreaking confession about being ‘trolled’.
Head judge Shirley, 62, came in for a torrent of abuse on social media during the 2022 series.
Very often the unpleasant reactions came as a result of questions about her assessments of performances.
But after hinting her Strictly future may be up in the air, devoted admirers have begged Shirley to commit to the BBC dance show.
Is Shirley Ballas leaving Strictly?
Shirley said in a recent interview she estimates around a fifth of the thousands of social media messages she received during the 2022 series were negative.
She told the Mirror: “I felt the abuse snowballed out of control and impacted me in such a negative way.”
Shirley continued: “That was an all-time low since I joined the show, it was the most negativity I’d ever experienced. The BBC were brilliant, checking in on me and offering counselling and support.”
Asked about whether she might quit her TV role, Shirley replied: “It was a difficult series, I’ll leave it at that. Will I go back to Strictly? I always take one step at a time.”
How fans have reacted
In subsequent posts Shirley has shared on Instagram, supporters have appealed to Shirley in the comments sections.
Dozens have asked her to carry on and appear again in Strictly in 2023.
One such commenter who made it clear they would like to see Shirley return wrote: “Don’t leave Strictly please!!!!!!!”
Don’t even think about not returning to Strictly.
“Don’t even think about not returning to Strictly,” implored another.
They went on: “You’re amazing. The world is full of lovely people who adore you.
“Block the rest literally and certainly don’t let them spoil something you love doing.
“That makes no sense.”
Meanwhile, someone else agreed: “Don’t let the online trolls get into your head. Keep focusing on all the good stuff that surrounds you.”
Read more: Shirley Ballas to leave Strictly after hitting ‘all-time low’ on ‘difficult’ 2022 series?
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