STRICTLY’S head judge Shirley Ballas has left fans wondering if she’ll be returning for the next series.
The ballroom pro-turned-TV star has hinted she could leave the BBC show for good with news of a venture across the pond on rival series Dancing With The Stars.
Shirley, 65, posted the “breaking news‘” on Instagram alongside former Dancing With The Stars champion Robert Irwin.
In the announcement video, Robert revealed he’ll be hosting a new spin-off show called Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro.
The series will follow dancers auditioning to become one of the professional partners on the upcoming series of the main show.
Shirley will be judging the applicants alongside her son Mark Ballas, who is also a professional dancer and has won Dancing With The Stars three times in the past.
The spin-off will see 12 contestants vying for a professional contract, with the winner set to join the cast for Dancing With The Stars season 35 this autumn.
Shirley and Robert said in their Instagram video: “It’s a new era where you are going to get to see what it takes to be a pro on Dancing With The Stars as we search for the next pro.
“12 of the very best dancers from around the world [are] going to be battling it out for the role of a lifetime. It’s going to be pretty amazing.
“Make sure you tune in on July the 13th!”
Strictly Come Dancing has been the subject of much speculation over the last six months, starting with the announcement that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman were stepping down as host.
Since then, various pro dancers have been told they are being cut from the line-up too.
Sources have called it a “bloodbath”, with the likes of Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova, Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas and Gorka Marquez axed as BBC bosses look to shake the show up completely ahead of it’s 2026 series.
The current judging panel sees Shirley sit alongside Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood.
But producers are yet to confirm that all four will be sat behind the judges’ desk this autumn, when the show returns to screens.
Shirley’s fans commented under her Instagram announcement, with one posted: “I see people asking you to become a permanent host [on Dancing With The Stars] don’t get any ideas Shirl, you’re ours!”
In another video, Shirley declared that Robert “is the most amazing host I’ve ever worked with”, suggesting the stateside spin-off has already been filmed.
Shirley is expected back on Strictly in September, but if she were to make the move Dancing With The Stars, she would be needed in the US at the same time.
Former judges Bruno Tonioli and the late Len Goodman have taken on both shows at once in the past, flying back and forth to appear on the ABC show during the week, and the BBC show at the weekends.
Fans of Strictly are desperate to know who will be the hosts of the forthcoming series, with names like Emma Willis, Rylan Clark and Zoe Ball said to be in the running.
