Shirley Ballas has confirmed she is in a “much better place this year” after receiving flurries of online abuse during last year’s Strictly competition.

The Strictly Come Dancing head judge, 63, spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk at The Pride of Britain Awards on Sunday evening where she also spoke candidly about this year’s talent.

When asked if she found this year’s celebrity pairings hard to judge, Shirley said: “I’ve just judged the international championships at the Royal Albert Hall, where every country was involved.

“There must have been maybe 600 couples starting and we get down to six.

“So that tells you judging that is difficult, judging strictly is more joyous because it’s one evening – it’s not over a week or anything.”

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She added: “And you can see everybody’s hard work but I wouldn’t like to predict this year’s outcome, I think it’s going to be a really tough series, I really really do. So much talent in so many ways.”

Last year, Shirley faced some backlash to many of her decisions as head judge.

As the deciding voter, Shirley’s vote often meant the difference between a couple leaving or staying on the BBC show.

Unfortunately, the 62-year-old had to deal with cruel online comments as a response from fans who disagreed with her.

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Shirley has now confirmed she has a team helping her avoid any nasty comments online during this year’s competition.

When asked if she’s currently using social media, Shirley said: “No, Harry does all the social media now, I don’t touch social media now, I’m into the world of TikTok.”

She added: “I’ve got a million views, it is much better. I’m in a better place this year.”

Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday at 7:30pm on BBC One.

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