marked a decade as a judge on Wednesday as she confirmed she was returning to the panel with , and for the next series later this year.
Showbiz
Shirley Ballas Celebrates 10 Years on Strictly Panel
Shirley Ballas marked a decade as a Strictly judge on Wednesday as she confirmed she was returning to the panel with Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton...
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The TV star, 65, will be returning to the show and said she was feeling 'beyond grateful' - on the same day that the pro line-up was confirmed.
She shared a series of sweet Instagram snaps with her co-judges as they posed and larked around backstage.
She penned in the caption of her post: 'Back with the besties for my 10th series… @bbcstrictly. I'm beyond grateful to be back.
'It's so special being part of a show that means so much to so many out there and little did I know when I danced onto the floor in 2017, I'd still be judging 10 series later. Strictly truly is the best show on television and I can't wait to be back behind the desk doing what I love.
'Thank you for all the messages and support over the years. Each and every one of you is just the best and I'm looking forward to seeing you all soon ❤️ it's never too early for a 10th series with Shirley. Hugs. X
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Shirley Ballas marked a decade as a Strictly judge on Wednesday as she confirmed she was returning to the panel with Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke for the next series
The TV star, 65, will be returning to the show and said she was feeling 'beyond grateful' - on the same day that the pro line-up was confirmed
'Swipe to the end because I'm sure they'll be even more chaos like that this year lol. @craigrevel I'm going to ask we all go on a rollercoaster again because I know how much you loved it x.'
The last slide showed her, Craig and Anton posing backstage in waterproof ponchos as they pulled funny faces.
Also on Wednesday, Strictly bosses confirmed the professional dancers that will be returning for the new series, after a string of stars were axed in a brutal cast cull.
In recent months , , 43, Michelle Tsiakkas, 30, , 36, and Gorka Marquez, 35, have all been given the boot.
But the dancers that will be back on the dancefloor later this year have now been announced, and they include Dianne Buswell, who competed on the show last year while pregnant with her first child, and gave birth to son Bowden in March.
Amy Dowden will also be back on the show, after her stint on last year's run came to an early end, when she and Thomas Skinner were the first pair to be eliminated.
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Also set to return are: Julian Caillon, Katya Jones, Neil Jones, , Jowita Przystał, , Aljaž Škorjanec, Alexis Warr, , Nancy Xu, and Vito Coppola.
Bosses also revealed that there will be brand new professional dancers joining the line-up in 2026.
However, they have still not secured new hosts following Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman's departure, and it's a race against time with just four months to go before the 24th series is due to kick off.
She shared a series of sweet Instagram snaps with her co-judges as they posed and larked around backstage
She penned in the caption of her post: 'Back with the besties for my 10th series… @bbcstrictly. I'm beyond grateful to be back'
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She added: 'It's so special being part of a show that means so much to so many out there and little did I know when I danced onto the floor in 2017, I'd still be judging 10 series later'
Shirley continued in her post: 'Thank you for all the messages and support over the years. Each and every one of you is just the best and I'm looking forward to seeing you all soon'
The last slide showed her, Craig and Anton posing backstage in waterproof ponchos as they pulled funny faces
for everything.
'Being part of the show has been so much more than just a professional opportunity- over the past 10 years, it allowed me to build a career from my passion, find love, start a family, and make lifelong friends. For that, I will forever be thankful.
'Although I'm stepping away from the dance floor, I can't wait to dance on the Strictly Pro Tour starting this week and continue being part of this incredible family.
'Now it's time to take a step back, enjoy the sidelines… and hopefully hold up a few paddles and give out some tens along the way.
'Thank you to everyone who has supported me and shared their love throughout this incredible journey. Keep dancing.'
Leaks about celebrity competitors normally begin to circulate around this time of year, but instead all the focus is on finding replacements for and , who departed the flagship show last year.
Tess and Claudia announced they were leaving back in October but six months on there is still no confirmation of who will take over.
After weeks of speculation and multiple major names turning the job down, nine shortlisted stars were summoned to a top-secret location in London to battle it out in full-scale dress rehearsals with a judging panel and live band in a bid to get the troubled show back on track.
BBC bosses held secret auditions and chemistry tests with the celebrities and forced the stars to sign strict NDAs to keep the tryouts under wraps.
A source told The Sun: 'It's not just about reading autocue. They'll be looking at how people work together and humour is a massive part of it. There's everything to play for.'
The chosen few who were called to the final test were watched closely and bosses are hoping to make a decision soon.
Among those confirmed to be in the callbacks were Rylan Clark, Emma Willis, Tom Allen, podcast host Angela Scanlon and One Show presenter Alex Jones.
Other stars summoned to the auditions were This Morning host Alison Hammond, The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh, RuPaul's Drag Race star La Voix and Radio 2's Zoe Ball.
Following the auditions, a source that four clear frontrunners have emerged: Angela, Rylan, Emma and Zoe.
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