Strictly's Shirley Ballas reacts to new judge Motsi Mabuse

New Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse definitely has the seal of approval from Shirley Ballas.

The sister of current pro Oti Mabuse will make her debut alongside Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli on this weekend's first live show, after being unveiled this past summer.

BBC

While viewers will have to wait a few more days to see Motsi in action, head judge Ballas told The One Show on Wednesday (September 18) that the dance pro will be a natural fit on the panel.

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"Well, Motsi and I go back a long way," she explained. "I judged her for a long, long time. Always her best judge, might I add!"

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Ballas then seriously explained: "She's just a bundle of energy. She's like opening a champagne bottle. She's full of bubbles. Well-educated in her trade, and I think she's going to fit in just perfectly.

"She's beautiful on the outside, beautiful on the inside. Very constructive but positive. I'll have energy on my right and energy on my left!"

There have been concerns that Motsi might naturally favour her sister Oti and her brand new professional partner Kelvin Fletcher, but former Strictly pro Ola Jordan thinks the opposite might be true.

"She could be more brutal to her sister as well because she's her sister," Jordan predicted.

Motsi herself has previously promised to treat her sibling with "fairness", adding: "The main point is that I'm not judging Oti.

"We're never judging the pro dancers. They are brilliant, they are beautiful and they've done what they need to do to get there."

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Strictly Come Dancing 2019's first live show airs on Saturday, September 21 on BBC One.