‘It was very painful’: Strictly’s Shirley Ballas reveals she had a furious spat with Craig Revel Horwood after he ‘body-shamed her fake breasts’
- Craig reportedly said in 2018 Shirley’s breasts were ‘hanging out’ when she auditioned for Strictly and mocked her for having implants
- The head judge, 60, found it ‘very painful’ as it ‘brought up things from my past’
- She added Craig gave a grovelling apology after she confronted him
- Shirley had a boob job when she was 41 after claiming her confidence was knocked by her second husband Corky mocking her figure
- Last year she had her implants removed and returned to Strictly just days after surgery
Shirley Ballas has spoken out about how she had a furious row with Craig Revel Horwood after he reportedly body-shamed her back in 2018.
The head Strictly judge, 60, described how Craig’s ‘painful’ alleged comments about her figure drudged up bad memories from her second marriage to retired dancer Corky.
Shirley said Craig gave a grovelling apology after he is said to have told a crowd her breasts were ‘hanging out’ when she auditioned to replace Len Goodman.
Her side of the story: Shirley Ballas has spoken out about how she had a furious row with Craig Revel Horwood after he reportedly body-shamed her back in 2018 (pictured last September)
Craig, 55, allegedly said while promoting his autobiography at the time: ‘What happened is that she came to the audition and literally had her thing open to her navel. I am not joking.
‘Her boobs were like La BaZooKa things hanging out. It was not very, erm, Strictly. So they came in and sewed all that up. Then they had to push them down . . . and they’re fake.’
Two years on, Shirley spoke of her shock in her autobiography, Behind The Sequins.
Taunt: Shirley says Craig gave a grovelling apology after he is said to have told a crowd her breasts were ‘hanging out’ when she auditioned to replace Len Goodman (pictured in 2019)
In an extract obtained by The Mirror, the retired dancer said: ‘It was awful and very, very painful. It brought up a lot of things from my past that I thought I’d dealt with.’
She claimed: ‘Once again, I was propelled back to my toughest days with [ex-husband] Corky, when he would make comments about my appearance: my crooked teeth, my nose, my a**e that was too big.
‘All those insults just came flying back as I read what Craig had said, apparently in jest. I told him exactly how I felt.’
Shirley said she told Craig she felt a sense of betrayal as she felt he should ‘feel like a protector to me and I should to you.’
The Strictly star added Craig gave her a grovelling apology and sent her flowers as an olive branch.
Old wounds: In an extract of her autobiography, the retired dancer says: ‘It was awful and very, very painful. It brought up a lot of things from my past that I thought I’d dealt with’
Made it up: The Strictly star said Craig gave her a grovelling apology and sent her flowers as an olive branch (pictured last year)
MailOnline has contacted Craig and Corky’s representatives and Strictly for comment.
Shirley was with her second husband, professional dancer Corky Ballas when she decided to increase her bust size from a 32B to 34DD 18 years ago.
She told MailOnline last year: ‘For years Corky was what I call a jokester. He’d tease me with things like, “You’ve got breasts like two currants on a breadboard” or “You’ve got a sunken chest like a pirate’s something or other.” He didn’t like my teeth until I got braces at 25.
‘It’s like a little pickaxe that goes, chip, chip, chip, until, in the end, you think you are ugly.
Boob job: Shirley was with her second husband, professional dancer Corky Ballas when she decided to increase her bust size from a 32B to 34DD (pictured in 2018)
‘I thought I’d have this fantastic bust and everyone would look at me and think I was amazing.’
‘After the operation I did feel fantastic: I’d put a bra on and I had a cleavage.
But her delight was short-lived. ‘Because if you’re not happy with yourself — if you’re heart is not happy — you won’t be happy with anything you do to your body,’ she said.
‘It isn’t until you’re at peace with yourself that everything about you is beautiful. So what if you’ve got a smaller bust? I think it’s only since I’ve been with Danny that I’ve realised that.’
Last year Shirley had an operation to remove her implants and wowed fans when she returned to Strictly just days after her surgery.
New woman: Last year Shirley had an operation to remove her implants and wowed fans when she returned to Strictly just days after her surgery