BBC go to war with Strictly judges over pay demands as things turn ‘very nasty’

The BBC has gone to war with Strictly Come Dancing judges over pay demands, telling them: ‘Read the room, take what we are offering or leave.’

They are understood to be particularly cross with Shirley Ballas, who some bosses would be happy to see depart the programme.

Sources at the Corporation told the Daily Mail that they refuse to jump to the demand for an 11% pay bump being made by her and co-stars Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke and fear that the situation could now become ‘very nasty’ between the BBC and the stars.

Chiefs are also furious that the foursome have ‘unionised’ to get want they want – with many suspecting that it is Ms Ballas who is fuelling the fight for more money.

It is also understood that they were angry at her publicly saying she might not return to the show last month citing trolling from the British public being behind her reticence to return.

In the line of fire: They are understood to be particularly cross with Shirley Ballas, who some bosses would be happy to see depart the programme

Shirley, who currently earns £500,000 for her three-month stint on the show, came under fire as a judge last year as she was accused of ageism and sexism. 

A BBC insider said: ‘We cannot justify giving them what they want and it’s up to them. They can go if they want, obviously that isn’t the preferred outcome but they need to read the room.

‘Their viewers are genuinely struggling to survive amid a cost of living crisis.

‘They are paid so much as it is and at this moment in time it looks like they might not get any rise at all so it’s down to them.

‘But you can’t exactly see any of them being paid what they are paid at the BBC anywhere else. The ball is in their court.

‘As for Shirley saying she might not return to the show because of trolling, firstly we could see straight through her strategy and secondly, don’t look at Twitter.’

However, sources close to Ms Ballas, 62, responded to the criticism that she, Mr Revel Horwood, 58, Ms Mabuse, 42, and Mr Du Beke, 56, have suffered after demanding the salary raise – insisting that a pay freeze during Covid means they have earned the same since 2019.

They also argue that strict BBC rules mean they are unable to earn extra money with social media endorsement deals, and that they have to be at Strictly’s ‘beck and call’ throughout the series.

Dream on: Sources at the Corporation told the Daily Mail that they refuse to jump to the demand for an 11% pay bump being made by her and co-stars Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke and fear that the situation could now become ‘very nasty’ between the BBC and the stars

Lucrative: The requested rise would see head judge Shirley, who currently earns £500,000 for her three month stint, earning a staggering £15,960 per hour on the show

The source said: ‘The request for a payrise is down to the fact there has been no salary enhancement since Covid. People within the BBC and outside of it have had annual increments so Shirley and the other judges think they are very much entitled to the same.

‘Also, being part of Strictly means that sacrifices have to be made. Unlike other channels, the BBC don’t allow Instagram endorsements which are very lucrative.’

A spokesman for the BBC declined to comment.

It comes after Shirley revealed her son Mark set up rules if she is to return to Strictly later this year, after she considered quitting due to her mental health. 

She said she had to seek medical help for low mood and anxiety as she struggled to cope with the relentless trolling during last year’s series. 

In a new interview, the TV star revealed she went to her son Mark, 36,  for advice on what to do after he recently announced his departure from America’s Dancing With The Stars following 20 seasons. 

The star was subjected to horrible online abuse and also cruel taunts about her appearance. 

But speaking to former Strictly contestant Kaye Adams on the How to be 60 podcast, Shirley revealed Mark has put down some ground rules to stop her from sinking into depression and anxiety again. 

‘I’ve just come back from seeing Mark and we had a whole sit down about the whole thing, “do you want to do Strictly again, what were the downfalls, pitfalls for you mum?”, she said. 

Speaking out: It comes after Shirley revealed her son Mark set up rules if she is to return to Strictly later this year, after she considered quitting due to her mental health 

Candid: The judge had to seek medical help for low mood and anxiety as she struggled to cope with the relentless trolling during last year’s series, but Mark was on hand to support her (pictured with son Mark) 

‘It makes me emotional. He was absolutely fantastic, and he said “You know look, everybody gets it mum, it doesn’t matter who you are, what level you are, if you go on social media somebody is going to be trolling, sitting on their computer, it makes their day to make you miserable”.

‘He said “So if you want to take Strictly back, these are the rules I would follow if I was you”.

‘So we sat there many hours with him and his beautiful wife and I did feel much better when I came away from it, because after the Strictly tour I took a break.

‘I turned down a lot of things that were offered to me for personal reasons and I just wanted to clear my head and see what I want to do. 

Shirley continued: ‘Do I want to continue, don’t I want to continue?’ And my son helped me with that. I feel in a much, much better place.’ 

Ballas, who landed the head judge role in 2017, said she had actually made a conscious decision after talking to her son at the end of her first series to be kinder to contestants.

Talented: Mark recently departed Dancing With The Stars after winning the show with celebrity Charli D’Amelio

She said: ‘Well after the first year, and talking to my son too, because I said ‘What did you think when you watched me Mark on TV?’, he said ‘I actually jumped back mum’.

‘ ‘Ooh, that’s a little bit hard’, he said, ‘these people put their shoes on for three months, this is not the British open to the world like the American Championships mother, you can still give a good, honest critique, it’s just the way you do it.’

But Shirley said the relentless criticism over her decisions as head judge took a toll. 

‘I let down the walls, and I let the people in, then the criticism was a little bit more difficult to take,’ she said. 

‘The social media last year was second to none – it was pretty tough.

‘I remember being in work one day and reposting something that somebody had posted just because I was so furious with all the horrible messages I was getting.

‘I reposted it and then this gentleman got trolled. He got in touch with my team.

‘In the end him and I ended up speaking on the phone because I didn’t want him to suffer if you like.

‘And he said to me ‘I’m so sorry, I wrote that, but you sent somebody home that we really loved and i just got on there and I ranted’.

‘I said ‘Well you were just maybe one rant too many for me’.

‘I don’t think people realise what effect they can have on somebody who checks their social media.

‘This year I will have somebody else doing my social media and I won’t be privy to all that because it did really effect me last year.’