BBC viewers have criticised Strictly Come Dancing‘s Shirley Ballas for comments she made to Kelvin Fletcher in the final.
During tonight’s (14.12.19) explosive finale, the judges heaped praise on all three of Kelvin’s dances with pro partner Oti Mabuse – and the ex Emmerdale actor went on to lift the coveted Glitterball trophy.
But head judge Shirley drew the ire of viewers with her colourful remarks about his dancing abilities, which some viewers claimed were “inappropriate”.
Read more: Strictly Come Dancing viewers fuming as voting issues plague final
Others slammed her for making Kelvin “uncomfortable”.
After his first dance, a rumba for the judges’ pick, Shirley told him: “You’re all the sunshine I need, that’s for sure! You are oily, you are like a lava lamp, the perfectly timed, synchronised body movement, slow and oily.”
Shortly after, when host Claudia Winkleman asked how he felt, Kelvin said: “I was a bit embarrassed a couple of times, but they were saying such lovely things.”
And later, after the former soap star and Oti finished off with an incredible samba, Shirley said: “Which part of that body doesn’t move? I mean, chigga chigga!”
Viewers rushed to Twitter to complain about the tone of the comments.
One said: “If the judges were carrying on like this to a female celeb, there’d be uproar. #StrictlyFinal #Strictly.”
Someone else put: “Shirley’s comments to Kelvin would never be tolerated if she was a straight man and he was a woman #StrictlyFinal.”
A third tweeted: Oh @BBCOne please have a word with Shirley. Poor Kelvin looks so uncomfortable, and it’s not on objectifying him. #StrictlyFinal.”
Shirley’s comments to Kelvin would never be tolerated if she was a straight man.
Another said: “I feel like Shirley is making Kelvin feel really uncomfortable… #StrictlyFinal.”
A fifth wrote: “The way Shirley went on at Kelvin after the rumba, in fact how all of them went on at Kelvin, is not cool. If that was a male going on at an attractive female half their age, everyone would rightly call it out. #StrictlyFinal #Strictly.”
#StrictlyComeDancing2019 #StrictlyFinal If male judges spoke about female dancers in the same way Motsi and Shirley talk about Kelvin…. would it be seen as inappropriate?” demanded a sixth.
ED! contacted the BBC for comment.
If the judges were carrying on like this to a female celeb, there'd be uproar. #StrictlyFinal #Strictly
— Gareth Williams (@GarethW_1) December 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/bethany82/status/1205950027979464704
Oh @BBCOne please have a word with Shirley. Poor Kelvin looks so uncomfortable, and it’s not on objectifying him. #StrictlyFinal
— Lizzie Knight (@lizzie_a_knight) December 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/gimmehopejoanna/status/1205949539720597504
The way Shirley went on at Kelvin after the Rumba, in fact how all of them went on at Kelvin, is not cool. If that was a male going on at an attractive female half their age everyone would rightly call it out. #StrictlyFinal #Strictly
— James Croydon (@croydonj) December 14, 2019
#StrictlyComeDancing2019 #StrictlyFinal If male judges spoke about female dancers in the same way Motsi and Shirley talk about Kelvin…. would it be seen as inappropriate??
— Tish (@tish187) December 14, 2019
Read more: Anton Du Beke says dancing in a same-sex partnership ‘doesn’t mean anything’ to Strictly pros
Kelvin was later announced as the winner of this year’s series.
All three of the finalists blew the judges away with the last three performances of the series.
But when Kelvin was crowned the winner, some viewers rushed to Twitter to claim that Karim had been robbed, while others lamented the fact that Strictly veteran Anton didn’t win with his celeb partner Emma Barton.
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