Head judge expresses disappointment over Adams’ departure in the first dance-off
Shirley Ballas has expressed her shock and disappointment after Kaye Adams was eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday night. The 62-year-old ballroom expert, who has been the head judge of the BBC One show since 2017, revealed that she was “absolutely mortified” by the decision to send the 59-year-old Loose Women star home after the first dance-off of the 20th series.
Speaking to The One Show, Ballas explained that she felt Adams’ performance was far superior to that of her competition, singer Matt Goss. “Both couples made mistakes, but Kaye’s quality on that evening was by far superior,” Ballas said. “I was absolutely mortified that she left, to be quite honest.” She went on to state that, while she has great respect for her fellow judges, “that was one they didn’t quite get right.”
When asked about disagreements with her fellow judges, Ballas insisted there were no major conflicts. “It’s not my job to send anyone home,” she explained. “But [Adams] had the most beautiful movement, and she was so fluid. I really liked that.”
Adams found herself in the bottom two after failing to impress the judges and the public with her Charleston to “Music! Music! Music!” alongside professional partner Kai Widdrington. In contrast, Goss, performing a samba to “Night Fever” with Nadiya Bychkova, earned enough praise to stay in the competition.
Meanwhile, radio DJ Tyler West showed his resilience by running the London Marathon on Sunday, after performing live on Strictly the night before. Speaking about the physical demands of the show, he shared that training for Strictly was even more challenging than marathon preparation. “If I can run a marathon, anything is possible now,” West said, also revealing that his partner Dianne Buswell almost missed him during the race.
Following the marathon, West received support from his fellow dancers, including an Instagram post of gratitude and well-wishes from Strictly stars such as Fleur East and Jowita Przystal.
