Shirley Ballas has opened up on her tense clash with Mel B during a Celebrity Bear Hunt, as she pointedly said she’d ‘dealt with divas all my life’.
The Strictly Come Dancing star, 64, and the Spice Girl, 49, both took part in the new Netflix series alongside 10 other celebrities, which saw them taking on gruelling challenges and having to share close quarters.
Tensions began to arise between the two stars, with Shirley becoming increasingly frustrated with Mel trying to ‘push buttons’ in camp by making provocative comments and then claiming she was ‘only joking’.
Things came to a head in the fourth episode, when the dancer and the singer went head to head in the Walk The Plank challenge, with Shirley’s team defeating Mel’s.
After returning to camp, the group was caught up in confusion over the rules of the challenge, leading to a heated row between Shirley and Mel.
The pop star told the Strictly judge: ‘We all have to go in the pit sometimes,’ causing Shirley to demand: ‘Excuse me?’
Shirley Ballas has opened up on her tense clash with Mel B during a Celebrity Bear Hunt , as she pointedly said she’d ‘dealt with divas all my life’
Tensions began to arise between the two stars, with Shirley, 64, becoming increasingly frustrated with Mel, 49, trying to ‘push buttons’ in camp by making provocative comments and then claiming she was ‘only joking’
The Strictly Come Dancing star and the Spice Girl both took part in the new Netflix series alongside 10 other celebrities, which saw them taking on gruelling challenges and having to share close quarters
As Mel repeated her comment, an irritated Shirley asked her: ‘What’s the matter with you?’
She continued: ‘Of course, I’m not here complaining, whining, or moaning. I’m not going to go in, so I don’t really know what your point is.’
As the disagreement became more tense and pair started talking over each other, Mel insisted: ‘I’m just talking to you.’
But Shirley shot back: ‘Well, you don’t really talk, do you? You direct, you’re in somebody’s face.’
Mel defended herself, saying: ‘I know because I’m just who I am,’ but Shirley pointed out: ‘You’re not exactly the most deliverable of messages, Mel.’
However, Mel ensured she got the last word in as she shot back: ‘Neither are you.’
Reflecting on their clash, Shirley explained she didn’t like to see people ‘pushing buttons just to get a reaction’ and insisted that she expected ‘mutual respect’.
Speaking to WhattoWatch, she said: ‘I can let somebody be a diva for so long until I feel someone else is being picked on. I’ve dealt with divas in my industry all my life. There’s nothing that could shock me.
Reflecting on their clash, Shirley explained she didn’t like to see people ‘pushing buttons just to get a reaction’ and insisted that she expected ‘mutual respect’
Shirley added that she felt it was important to get on with the show and not waste time complaining, as she pointedly said that not all her fellow celebrities followed the same thinking
‘But when you’re living together and can’t retreat to your own home, all you ask for is mutual respect.
‘If someone keeps pushing buttons just to get a reaction, I don’t like that. I think it’s completely unnecessary—though I know it makes great TV!’
Shirley added that she felt it was important to get on with the show and not waste time complaining, as she pointedly said that not all her fellow celebrities followed the same thinking.
She said: ‘If you watch the show you’ll never find me whining. No matter what I was feeling, I kept it inside and I got on with the job that I signed up for.
‘I think if you sign up for it, shut up and get on with it. Unfortunately, not everybody felt the same way!’
It comes after Mel previously claimed she was well equipped for managing the dynamic of living in the camp, after being a member of The Spice Girls.
Speaking ahead of the airing of the show, she said she she’s played ‘all the different roles’ during her time in the band.’
She explained: ‘I’ve been with four other Spice Girls for longer than I can remember! We all have different roles.
It comes after Mel previously claimed she was well equipped for managing the dynamic of living in the camp, after being a member of The Spice Girls
Speaking ahead of the airing of the show, she said she she’s played ‘all the different roles’ during her time in the band’ (pictured with Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, Geri Horner and Melanie Chisholm in 1997)
‘Sometimes you lead, sometimes you don’t, sometimes you’re in the middle so I’ve played all different roles in that over the past thirty years we’ve been together.’
Asked why she decided to take part in the show, she said: ‘Well, I have a soft spot for Bear Grylls and I have done one of his shows before, in Wales.
‘It was at a time, in 2016, when I hadn’t actually seen my family for a long time because I was in a very abusive, coercive marriage.
‘When I heard about this show I thought – I’d love to do a show with him again since I’ve now left that situation. I feel like I’m now not hiding behind anything, I’m in a different place in my life.
‘It will be nice to reconnect, having gone through something so horrific to now being more happy and more focused.
‘I don’t have any expectations because at the end of the day I don’t like to go into things with all the barriers up. I like to have an open mind. I just want to learn as much as I can and have some fun.’
Mel added that the main thing she hoped to take away from her experience is ‘survival skills,’ and she’d be ‘like a sponge and just take in as much information as possible.’
The competition show sees a group of unlikely celebrities get dropped into the Central American jungle as prey for one of the world’s most fearsome predators – Bear.
The competition show sees a group of unlikely celebrities get dropped into the Central American jungle as prey for one of the world’s most fearsome predators – Bear (pictured)
As Bear puts them through their paces, those who fail to impress will face the dreaded ‘Bear Hunt’.
The Bear Hunt is said to be a brutal game of cat and mouse where they’ll be hunted down by Bear himself and, if captured, face elimination from the show.
Show bosses have pulled out all the stops with their latest line-up, which alongside Shirley and Mel, also features Joe Thomas, Boris Becker and Leomie Anderson.
Also joining the star-studded line-up is are Una Healy, Kola Bokinni, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Steph McGovern, Lottie Moss, Big Zuu and Danny Cipriani.
Celebrity Bear Hunt: Meet The Cast!
MEL B
Age: 48
Profession: Spice Girl, TV presenter and X Factor judge
LEOMIE ANDERSON
Age: 31
Profession: Model, Victoria’s Secret star and TV presenter for BBC Three’s Glow Up:
KOLA BOKINNI
Age: 31
Profession: Actor and Ted Lasso star
UNA HEALY
Age: 42
Profession: Singer and former member of The Saturdays
LOTTIE MOSS
Age: 26
Profession: Model and influencer
STEPH MCGOVERN
Age: 41
Profession: TV presenter and journalist
Age: 63
Profession: Former dancer and Strictly Come Dancing’s head judge
Age: 56
Profession: Former tennis star and Wimbledon champion
LAURENCE LLEWELYN-BOWEN
Age: 59
Profession: Interior design expert and Changing Rooms star
Age: 28
Profession: Rapper and TV chef
Age: 36
Profession: Retired rugby player
JOE THOMAS
Age: 40
Profession: Actor and Inbetweeners star
