Strictly Come Dancing fans were baffled when they spotted an unexpected "stunt double" during the show. Halfway through Sunday's results episode, the professional dancers took to the ballroom floor with a jaw-dropping routine. But in an exciting turn of events, judges Anton DuBeke and Shirley Ballas joined the dancers on the floor.
Ballroom vs Latin Battle
It was a competition of ballroom versus Latin, with the Wirral-born former pro showing off her title of "Queen of Latin" as she performed the samba. Opposite her was King of ballroom Anton Du Beke, who performed some classic moves and immaculate quickstep technique with Lauren Oakley.
But after Shirley had finished showing off her samba hips with Vito Coppola, the 66-year-old then did a cartwheel and a back handspring across the floor before doing the caterpillar.
Fans React on Social Media
Taking to social media during the programme, fans realised it was most likely a "stunt double" performing this section of the routine, as Shirley's face was hidden from the cameras during the acrobatic section.
Writing on X, fans were baffled by the decision to include a stunt double. One viewer said: "The flips were Shirley's double and the dancing was definitely Shirley. They should have left the flips out, it would have been 100% Shirley then, but I liked it anyway."
A second asked: "Was that really Shirley? Really??" A third said: "Omg! Was this Shirley Ballas or a stunt double!!?"
A fourth said: "People we could ALL see Shirley had a stunt double for the flips, it was supposed to be tongue in cheek." While a fifth wrote: "Was there a lot of editing that benefited Shirley in that dance battle?"
Another said: "Shirley deffo had a 'stunt double' for part of that performance."
Shirley's Strictly History
Shirley has been a core part of Strictly Come Dancing for many years, serving as head judge since 2017.
At the end of Sunday's results show, it was revealed that Gavin and Stacey actress Melanie Walters and her partner Aljaz Skorjanec had been eliminated from the competition.
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One and iPlayer.
