SHIRLEY Ballas has refused to back down over Catherine Tyldesley getting the axe from Strictly – and says fans are to blame.
Over the weekend the judges chose to save Mike Bushell over the former Corrie star and her pro partner Johannes Radebe during the dance off, leaving viewers outraged.
But speaking at the Pride Of Britain Awards tonight, head judge Shirley – who had the deciding vote – insisted she’s not at fault, telling us: “Every time someone goes out someone gets upset.
“I have one question – why was Catherine in the bottom two?”
She continued: “I stand by my decision. Why was she there in bottom two?
“You can’t complain if it ends up like that. It’s about what they do there and then. And I know I absolutely made the right decision. Every week we could have the same conversation.”
During Sunday night’s result show Catherine broke down in tears when she learnt she had lost her place.
Catherine, 36, scored 24 points for her Cha Cha Cha as a zombie bride, and found herself up against Mike, 53, who had scored one point more.
Earlier today she gave away how she was feeling as she showed her appreciation for a supportive tweet that claimed she’d been robbed of a spot in the competition.
The tweet read: “Sorry but @Cath_Tyledesley did not deserve to go tonight in @bbcstrictly… she was the better dance by far.. Hold your head up high my darling Cath… you’ve been a joy to watch from start to finish. Big love to you and @jojo_radebe.”
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Meanwhile, viewers claimed that the decision was fixed amid a war between BBC and ITV and there were even calls for Shirley to be sacked.
Taking to Twitter, a viewer wrote: “Shirley should be sacked we all know she has her favourites at least Len was always fair in his judging. #Strictly.”
Another agreed: “Seriously lost any respect for Shirley as head judge. She has her faves and over marks them each week. This decision tonight is a joke. Bring back Len! #strictly.”