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Shirley Ballas ‘so excited’ as Anton Du Beke joins Strictly judging panel

Anton also said he was 'so excited' about Saturday's show

Strictly head judge Shirley Ballas has told of her excitement as Anton Du Beke joins her on the panel for the very first time.

Anton has long been thought to be a contender in the event of an opening on the judging panel.

And he is now getting his shot as he is filling in for judge Motsi Mabuse, who is self-isolating for 14 days following an “urgent” trip to Germany.

Shirley Ballas on Strictly
Shirley Ballas has shared a behind-the-scenes shot of Anton getting ready for Strictly (Credit: BBC)

What did Strictly star Shirley Ballas say about Anton?

Just hours before Saturday’s Strictly Come Dancing, head judge Shirley shared clips on her Instagram Story of the pair getting ready.

One behind-the-scenes snipped showed Anton sitting on a sofa with his mask on.

Read more: Anton Du Beke says he felt ‘the saddest I’ve ever felt’ over huge Strictly change

“Very excited, are you excited?” Shirley asks him from off camera.

“I’m SO excited,” the dancer shrieks, throwing his arms in the air.

I’m so excited and I love you. We are missing Motsi but we love Anton Du Beke.

Shirley then sings: “I’m so excited and I love you.”

“We are missing Motsi but we love Anton Du Beke,” she added.

In a light-hearted swipe at fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley captioned the clip: “King of ballroom on my left and grumpy on my right lol.”

Anton behind the scenes at Strictly
Shirley and Anton were seen getting ready for the live show (Credit: nstagram)

Motsi announces she is missing Strictly

Motsi announced earlier this week that she would have to miss the BBC show.

She said in a statement shared on social media: “Hi Guys – Earlier this week I needed to travel to Germany for an urgent reason.

“I will of course be following the UK Government guidelines and self-isolating for 14 days.”

“I’ll be watching from home and by the power of technology, should be in your living rooms,” she added.

“Watch out though, I’ll be doing my own hair and make-up!”

Strictly hit by coronavirus

Motsi’s news came not long after it was revealed that boxer Nicola Adams and her professional partner Katya Jones were out of the competition because Katya had tested positive for the coronavirus.

And there was even more bad news when Rylan Clark-Neal announced he would be taking some time off from Strictly spin-off It Takes Two as he is self-isolating.

Read more: Anton Du Beke fans beg for him to be a judge on Strictly following another early exit

The star posted a message on Twitter telling fans he had to isolate for 14 days in accordance with government guidelines after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

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Julia Hunt
Freelance Writer