Shirley Ballas has confirmed that a stunt double performed her acrobatic moves during a recent Strictly Come Dancing group performance, after fans expressed confusion over the 66-year-old head judge's display.
Viewers of the second results show of the BBC One dance competition's 2026 series saw Ballas go up against Anton Du Beke on the dance floor as part of a special group routine, which saw two teams of professional dancers competing in a Ballroom vs Latin showdown. Anton sang Arctic Monkeys' 2006 hit I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, while Shirley appeared to show off tricks, flipping across the ballroom floor.
Fans spot the switch
During the performance, it became clear that the 'Queen of Latin' had a stunt double, with fans believing it was Strictly pro Alexis Warr performing the tricks. One viewer commented: "Omg! Was this Shirley Ballas or a stunt double !!? She's 66, people! Incredible!"
Ballas has now confirmed it was Alexis, who made the Strictly final last year with social media star George Clarke and is now paired with former footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips, who pretended to be her during the routine.
Instagram reveal
Taking to Instagram, Ballas shared a comedic video of herself and Alexis wearing the same outfit, with the pro dancer sporting a black curly-haired wig instead of her trademark red locks. A caption over the top read: "POV: You bump into yourself backstage."
Ballas also captioned the post: "It totally was me doing the flips … @bbcstrictly@alexis_warr," before comments flooded in. One user said: "Well on first watch, you had me fooled. Alexis is a very good younger Shirley. I loved that group dance. The best in years imo!!" Another commented: "It was such a smooth transition that my children did not believe me when I said it wasn’t you doing the flips - they were adamant it was you."
A third replied: "Nahh this is amazing (i could tell it was Alexis being Shirley)." Another added: "It was brilliant, more please."
