‘I'm not that familiar with him’: Shirley Ballas gives her verdict on Josh Widdicombe’s surprise Strictly role
The judge has delivered her thoughts on the curve ball of the comedian being added to the Strictly presenting line-up
After what felt like one of the biggest build ups to an announcement in history, the new Strictly presenters have been revealed.
After Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly shared the news they were stepping away from their roles as hosts in October last year, speculation immediately began over who would replace them.
Dozens of potential names were thrown into the mix, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe finally being confirmed as taking over the Strictly presenting reins this week.
Zoe Ball was a fan favourite to take over, and certainly one of the front runners. She has shared her feelings of grief and rejection at not landing the role, while Sara Cox has now revealed she entered into the audition process, calling it "great fun" despite being unsuccessful.
While fan reactions to Emma and Johannes as the new presenters have been largely positive, they have been a little more mixed for Josh, ranging from bewildered to thrilled by such an unexpected curve ball.
The public have been waiting for the Strictly judges to give their verdict on the new hosts, and Shirley Ballas has finally offered hers - and it looks like she'll need to spend some time bonding with Josh.
Emma, Johannes and Josh all had chemistry tests with the judging panel, including Anton DuBeke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse, but Shirley missed out on these as she was in Australia with her son.
"I'm not that familiar with Josh," she tells The Mirror, adding, "But I met him this week and I've since looked at some of his work.. I think it's going to be fresh and interesting."
Shirley did have plenty of praise for Emma and Johannes, and is glad the BBC have decided to give the show's format a big shake-up.
"I think it's absolutely brilliant what the BBC have done," she says, continuing, "Of course, I've worked with Emma on and she's an absolute star. She's very calm, so beautiful, she keeps everything together."
"And there's only one Johannes in the whole world. I mean, who wouldn't want him somewhere in that trio?"
Delving a little more into the impact of her missing the chemistry test with the new presenters, and the instant spark it's said Emma, Johannes and Josh all had with each other, Shirley says she heard the tests with the other judges "went well."
She continues, "Apparently, the chemistry between Josh and Emma was off the charts. So I believe that was the case."
She adds, "They had chemistry beyond chemistry, so I do trust the process and the producers. They took their time, they didn't rush this decision. I know people are judging before they've even seen the results, but for me, this is a dream team."
