I read a magazine article/interview with Shirley this week.
She was contacted to audition for Strictly, along with many others, apparently. Did an awful first audition but was called back for ‘another go’.
Then didn’t hear anything for many weeks, before the job offer came.
I would really like to know
- Who else auditioned for the job?
- Who was offered the job and turned it down? Given the lonnnng gap before Shirley got the phone call.
- On what basis she was selected above the others? They would ALL have had the requisite dance knowledge/experience to even get the phone call. So that means the producers chose her, for what?
Now, given the BBC getting into all sorts of trouble ref diversity, it probably had to be a woman, and given the hoo haa at the time about age discrimination, their preference might have been for an older woman.
BUT there it stops for me. Yes, she looks ok on TV, but I bet the other female candidates did too, given dancers or ex dancers tend to keep in shape.
So, why not Karen Hardie? Or Erin Boag? Or Natalie Lowe. Or Lilia Kopylova?
All popular with the Strictly fan base, and Lilia even has judging experience on one of the Strictly spin offs.
The gig is high profile, highly paid and yet Shirley is making an absolute pigs ear of it. Is there no performance appraisal? Was it an open ended contract?
Giving her Head Judge as well, an abomination.
It’s taken three series of her for me to reach this view. How much longer do we have to endure her?
PS ref Anton
I though he wouldn’t get the job because he is a white, middle aged, Male. If they were that concerned about the Laila Rouass episode then surely he would have been stood down as a dancer? Motsi has no where near the credibility with a British audience that Anton does, and her judging critiques are hysterical.
Maybe in Craig’s next book he will reveal more?😀