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Strictly’s Shirley Ballas says show’s first same-sex couple will be ‘beautiful’

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Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has said the show's first same-sex couple will be "absolutely beautiful".

The BBC One hit dancing show will see Nicola Adams, 37, in the first same-sex pairing involving a contestant on the show.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Shirley discussed the importance of the milestone moment and reflected on Graham Norton's recent comments about the difficulty of judging a same-sex pairing.

Shirley explained: "I'll be judging movement to music, footwork, characteristic of what's going on within the dance and spacial awareness on the floor.

"So I don't see it as some people see it."

She added: "I really think people have to look at this with one mind because I think it is going to be absolutely beautiful."

Shirley also noted: "I'm not a judgmental person because I have been judged all my life."

Graham said to Best magzine earlier this week about wanting to compare 'like with like' and that he didn't think that view was 'homophobic'.

He had said: "I understand the reason the Strictly bosses might do it is coming from a good place, but it does kind of muddy the waters for the judges.

"If you’ve got two partners who can do lifts and men’s bodies are different shapes, how would that work?"

Elsewhere in Shirley's interview, the 'Queen of Latin' also reflected on the difficult task of replacing Len Goodman after his departure from the show in 2017.

"The first year was very difficult," said Shirley. "I still remember someone saying, 'She's got a chest like a Seville orange, it looks like it has been eaten by a thousand slugs. Die you b***h!'

She went on: 'My mother told me to take everything a bit more with a sense of humour and I tried to do that and my son said, 'Don't try to fill Len's shoes, put your own little slippers next to his.'

"I never tried to fill his shoes. There will only be one brilliant Len, but I came with what I can do which is critiquing and being positive and guiding people through their journey."

*Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One in October.