Strictly Come Dancing sensation Shirley Ballas has issued a plea for support for finalists Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec, urging viewers to “pick up the phone and vote”.
The celebrated judge and dance icon appeared on BBC’s The One Show on Friday night (December 13) to discuss the final of this year’s Strictly, which will be broadcast tomorrow evening (December 12).
When Shirley expressed her thoughts on the contestants vying for the Glitterball Trophy this year, she didn’t hold back in conveying her affection and high regard for the four remaining celebrity competitors and their pro dancing counterparts.
In a heartfelt exchange with hosts Alex Jones and Roman Kemp, Shirley praised Tasha and Aljaz’s partnership. However, during the conversation, Roman pointed out that despite their high scores, Tasha and Aljaz have faced elimination more than once.
Prompting Shirley, he queried, “The highest-scoring couple, but they’ve been in the dance-off twice. So what are you wanting from them in the final?”
To which Shirley responded, “Well, being in the dance-off twice but strong from the very very beginning, and all I can say is if the people at home are really enjoying their dancing, then they must pick up the phone and vote,” reports the Express.
She added, reinforcing Tashas resilience, “She has landed in the bottom two twice, but it’s given a resilience, it’s given a strength of mind and I think she’ll be going into tomorrow’s final and she’ll be taking no prisoners because I know each and every one of them are not leaving without that trophy, so it’s going to be extremely difficult.”
Shirley issued a heartfelt plea, saying: “But the people at home, please do your job because your job is just a vote.”
Love Island’s Tasha recently shared her thoughts on facing dance-offs, choosing to see them in a positive light.
With the final approaching this Saturday, she reflected: “I always say I never look at the dance-off as a negative experience. If anything it’s added to my experience, I’ve had that journey now, the ups and downs.”
“I said to Aljaz I’d be happy to do the Waltz with you again, or the Argentine Tango it’s another opportunity to dance with you again. So I was like, ‘You know what? Let’s just go for it!'”
Reflecting on last week’s semi-final, Tasha recalled: “And I remember in the semi-final last week, the Salsa especially, we opened the show, and I had so much fire and butterflies in my belly because I was like, ‘I’m not ready to go at the last hurdle,’ I really wanted to get over it.”
Strictly Come Dancing final airs Saturday 14 at 6pm on BBC One.