Strictly’s Craig Revel Horwood laughs off Shirley Ballas’ claims he ‘body-shamed her’

She claimed they’d been embroiled in a backstage row in her bombshell memoir.

And it seemed that Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood wanted to see Shirley Ballas’ accusations for himself as he picked up her autobiography Behind The Sequins on Saturday.

The acid-tongued judge, 55, tweeted a snap of himself reading the book with a feigned shock expression, after Shirley claimed he body-shamed her back in 2018.

Laugh it off! Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood wanted to see Shirley Ballas’ accusations for himself as he picked up her autobiography Behind The Sequins on Saturday

Craig tweeted a snap brandishing Shirley’s new book after it was released on Friday.

His surprise reaction perfectly displayed his shock as he wrote: ‘Just received Shirley’s auto. It’s a fab-u-lous read!!!! Well done darling.’

Earlier this week Shirley spoke out about how she had a furious row with Craig after he reportedly body-shamed her back in 2018.

No drama: The acid-tongued judge tweeted a snap of himself reading the book with a feigned shock expression, after Shirley's explosive claims

No drama: The acid-tongued judge tweeted a snap of himself reading the book with a feigned shock expression, after Shirley’s explosive claims

Her side of the story: Earlier this week Shirley spoke out about how she had a furious row with Craig after he reportedly body-shamed her back in 2018 (pictured in September 2019)

Her side of the story: Earlier this week Shirley spoke out about how she had a furious row with Craig after he reportedly body-shamed her back in 2018 (pictured in September 2019)

The head Strictly judge described how Craig’s ‘painful’ alleged comments about her figure drudged up bad memories from her second marriage to retired dancer Corky.

Shirley said Craig gave a grovelling apology after he is said to have told a crowd her breasts were ‘hanging out’ when she auditioned to replace Len Goodman.

Craig, 55, allegedly said while promoting his autobiography at the time: ‘What happened is that she came to the audition and literally had her thing open to her navel. I am not joking.

‘Her boobs were like La BaZooKa things hanging out. It was not very, erm, Strictly. So they came in and sewed all that up. Then they had to push them down . . . and they’re fake.’

Taunt: Shirley says Craig gave a grovelling apology after he is said to have told a crowd her breasts were 'hanging out' when she auditioned to replace Len Goodman (pictured in 2019)

Taunt: Shirley says Craig gave a grovelling apology after he is said to have told a crowd her breasts were ‘hanging out’ when she auditioned to replace Len Goodman (pictured in 2019)

Two years on, Shirley spoke of her shock in her autobiography, Behind The Sequins.

In an extract obtained by The Mirror, the retired dancer said: ‘It was awful and very, very painful. It brought up a lot of things from my past that I thought I’d dealt with.’

She claimed: ‘Once again, I was propelled back to my toughest days with [ex-husband] Corky, when he would make comments about my appearance: my crooked teeth, my nose, my a**e that was too big.

‘All those insults just came flying back as I read what Craig had said, apparently in jest. I told him exactly how I felt.’

Shirley said she told Craig she felt a sense of betrayal as she felt he should ‘feel like a protector to me and I should to you.’

The Strictly star added Craig gave her a grovelling apology and sent her flowers as an olive branch.

Old wounds: In an extract of her autobiography, the retired dancer said: 'It was awful and very, very painful. It brought up a lot of things from my past that I thought I'd dealt with'

Old wounds: In an extract of her autobiography, the retired dancer said: ‘It was awful and very, very painful. It brought up a lot of things from my past that I thought I’d dealt with’

Made it up: The Strictly star said Craig gave her a grovelling apology and sent her flowers as an olive branch (pictured last year)

Made it up: The Strictly star said Craig gave her a grovelling apology and sent her flowers as an olive branch (pictured last year) 

MailOnline has contacted Craig and Corky’s representatives and Strictly for comment.

Shirley was with her second husband, professional dancer Corky Ballas when she decided to increase her bust size from a 32B to 34DD 18 years ago.

She told MailOnline last year: ‘For years Corky was what I call a jokester. He’d tease me with things like, ‘You’ve got breasts like two currants on a breadboard’ or ‘You’ve got a sunken chest like a pirate’s something or other.’ He didn’t like my teeth until I got braces at 25.

‘It’s like a little pickaxe that goes, chip, chip, chip, until, in the end, you think you are ugly.

Boob job: Shirley was with her second husband, professional dancer Corky Ballas when she decided to increase her bust size from a 32B to 34DD (pictured in 2018)

Boob job: Shirley was with her second husband, professional dancer Corky Ballas when she decided to increase her bust size from a 32B to 34DD (pictured in 2018)

Confidence knock: For years Corky was what I call a jokester. He'd tease me with things like, "You've got breasts like two currants on a breadboard", she claimed

Confidence knock: For years Corky was what I call a jokester. He’d tease me with things like, ‘You’ve got breasts like two currants on a breadboard’, she claimed

‘I thought I’d have this fantastic bust and everyone would look at me and think I was amazing.’

‘After the operation I did feel fantastic: I’d put a bra on and I had a cleavage.

But her delight was short-lived. ‘Because if you’re not happy with yourself — if you’re heart is not happy — you won’t be happy with anything you do to your body,’ she said.

‘It isn’t until you’re at peace with yourself that everything about you is beautiful. So what if you’ve got a smaller bust? I think it’s only since I’ve been with Danny that I’ve realised that.’

Last year Shirley had an operation to remove her implants and wowed fans when she returned to Strictly just days after her surgery.

New woman: Last year Shirley had an operation to remove her implants and wowed fans when she returned to Strictly just days after her surgery

New woman: Last year Shirley had an operation to remove her implants and wowed fans when she returned to Strictly just days after her surgery