Dianne Buswell has called on Strictly Come Dancing fans not to abuse her co-star Shirley Ballas online.
The Aussie pro dancer took to Instagram to urge followers to “be kind” after an error from the head judge.
The 33-year-old said her piece over the weekend after some viewers objected to what Shirley said to her.
The moment in question occurred during Saturday’s (November 5) episode as Dianne and Tyler West received feedback for their Viennese Waltz.
They received a score of 29 from the judges – with Shirley awarding a seven, the same as Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse.
However, it wasn’t the points tally dished out by Shirley some fans took exception to.
Dianne Buswell calls on Strictly fans to ‘be kind’
As she responded to Dianne and Tyler’s efforts, Shirley seemed to make a mistake with Dianne’s name.
Instead of referring to her as ‘Dianne’, it sounded like Shirley called her ‘Diana’.
And this infuriated many of those watching at home.
One Twitter fumed at the time: “FAO: Shirley Ballas. Her name is Dianne, not Diana. Kind regards, The nation. #Strictly.”
Meanwhile, someone else claimed: “Two weeks in a row Shirley has called Dianne ‘Diana’ – wtf?
“It’s beyond ignorant considering her name is mentioned right before by Tess, the other judges and she’s been doing Strictly for five years. Get Shirley in the bin #Strictly.”
And a third person complained: “Dianne has been on #Strictly for about six years now. There is no excuse for Shirley to get her name wrong! It’s Dianne, not Diana.”
However, in an Insta address, Dianne went on to suggest the “hateful comments” subsequently directed at Shirley were out of proportion.
View this post on Instagram
Dianne noted she wasn’t offended by Shirley calling her by the wrong name.
She went on: “But what does make me upset is seeing someone being bullied online.
“We are all human and doing the best we can.
“Let’s please be kind to one another and not put each other down.”
‘People need to get a grip’
Many fans supported Dianne’s message in the comments section of her post.
One person reacted: “That’s so horrible that Shirley got bullied for that. And bullying is never okay.
“I mean goodness me it is a simple mistake. My dad calls me by a completely different name sometimes and I don’t bat an eye lid. Be kind people!”
Another person responded: “People need to get a grip and realise it’s a TV show. Not sure why they need to heap abuse at people.”
Meanwhile, a third added: “We are all human and slip of the tongues happen when it comes to names.”
However, not everyone agreed, with some maintaining Shirley’s mistake was “rude”, as well as claiming it wasn’t the first time she’d done so.
Someone else countered by claiming: “But it’s so rude of her to call you by another name. If Shirley doesn’t know your name by now how can she know how to judge fairly? It’s a simple thing.”
It is a matter of perceiving saying someone’s name wrong as rude and disrespectful.
And another person argued: “The most important thing is if you’re bothered then that’s settled then shouldn’t be more talk on it.
“I don’t feel like people were trying to bully Shirley though, it’s just a matter of perceiving saying someone’s name wrong as rude and disrespectful.”
Read more: Strictly viewers express concern for Dianne Buswell after results show
Strictly Come Dancing continues on BBC One, Saturday November 12, at 6.55pm.
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