Strictly’s Craig Revel Horwood on why new head judge Shirley Ballas is the perfect choice
It won’t be long before Craig Revel Horwood is wielding his, traditionally low-scoring, judge’s paddle on the new series of Strictly Come Dancing this autumn, but what does he make of incoming head judge Shirley Ballas?
"I can’t wait to get back to Strictly," Craig told TV Times. "Shirley’s a fantastic replacement for Len Goodman. I’ve met up with her and she’s a laugh and a bundle of fun and, after being a Latin American dance champion herself, she knows her stuff. She couldn’t be more perfect because she’s been there, done it, and got every t-shirt and medal, so she will protect the integrity of ballroom and Latin.
"The audience will fall in love with her. She’ll be as tough as me but probably not as Botoxed or grumpy!"
It’s all change among the professional dancers, too, as Joanne Clifton, Natalie Lowe and Oksana Platero are bowing out, but Craig can’t wait to see their post-Strictly careers blossom.
"I’m excited about seeing the new professionals, but it’s brilliant that people like Joanne are going off to do their own thing," said Craig. "Joanne’s a fantastic singer, dancer and actress, so why limit yourself to just dancing when you can become a star performer? I encourage all the dancers to use Strictly as a springboard because you can’t dance forever. The world is their oyster."
Craig features in a new episode of Who Do You Think You Are? on BBC1 on Wednesday, July 12.
