By Matt Davies

Copyright walesonline

Shirley Ballas has claimed that people who may not have had her best interests at heart would “pop up” to warn her new colleagues about her, including Motsi Mabuse. In her 2025 book, Best Foot Forward, veteran Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley detailed how the world of dance is “rife” with what she described as “wicked whispers” and “petty politics”. She claimed that she encountered people who questioned her abilities and doubted her. Shirley even went as far as saying that there were people who assumed she’d “clambered over others” to achieve her success. It seems these unnamed individuals struck out when it came to their efforts to drive a wedge between Shirley and then-newcomer Motsi , who has become one of her “closest friends”. She wrote: “I’m fully aware that if I’m ever about to work with anyone new, somebody will pop up to warn them: ‘Watch your back.’ Motsi Mabuse was told just that when she joined the Strictly judging panel in 2019 and I know who it was that tipped her off, too.” She continued: “It backfired on that particular person trying to stir the pot because Motsi, whom I’ve known for 25 years, is now one of my closest friends – I love the bones of that woman.” Shirley claimed that another individual had disclosed that he’d been approached by someone she had taught. That person had subsequently advised him not to ‘go into business’ with the dancer. Shirley added that it’s “simply not true” that she’s used people or “double-crossed” them to ascend the ladder, stressing that she only learned her trade and “studied hard”. In other news, the 65-year-old judge recently opened up to sports legend Gabby Logan about her relationships on an episode of the podcast, The Mid Point, admitting that she doesn’t think she’s “always been successful”. She admitted: “I don’t think I’ve always been successful in relationships to be perfectly honest. I’m more the person that when I leave the earth people will remember what I helped them with. “I don’t think I’ll be remembered for the person who had the most successful relationships.” She then theorised about why this is the case, noting that she didn’t have a “fatherly figure” from the age of two. She also noted that he wasn’t part of her life and only became more friendly once she secured her BBC gig, on which she stars alongside Motsi, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman . Shirley went on to say that, due to his absence, she didn’t have a role model to help her understand what to expect in a marriage You can catch the next episode of Strictly on BBC One on Saturday, September 27, from 6:55pm to 9:25pm.