Strictly change 'to stop Shirley trolls'

Dance-off rule switch will ease ordeal of head judge

- BY TOM BRYANT Associate Editor (Showbiz)

STRICTLY Come Dancing bosses hope a voting rule change will cut the online abuse directed at Shirley Ballas.

Head judge Shirley will no longer have the final say in dance-offs, with the deciding vote rotating between the four judges each week.

A BBC insider confirmed: “A happy byproduct of the change will mean that Shirley is subject to less vitriol.”

They added: “The fundamental reason behind the switch in the rules is to make the show more exciting but it's fair to say that any move that lessens one judge unfairly facing abuse all the time is welcome too. Especially one as loved as Shirley.”

Shirley has spoken about the toll the abuse has taken, particularly when she is tasked with sending someone home.