Shirley Ballas has revealed the stunt double behind her acrobatic performance on Strictly Come Dancing after fans were left stunned by a series of backflips and a worm.
The head judge, 66, shared a behind-the-scenes Instagram clip with Alexis Warr, who wore a matching black-and-white polka-dot dress and curly brunette wig to recreate her look.
In the results-show routine, Ballas was thrown into the air by professional dancer Vito Coppola before Warr appeared to take her place. Warr then performed multiple backflips and finished with the worm while impersonating the judge.
The pair joked in the video while recreating a viral Family Guy trend: “One of us is going to have to change.”
Ballas added: “POV: You bump into yourself backstage.” In the caption, she playfully insisted: “It totally was me doing the flips… @bbcstrictly @alexis_warr.”
The apparent switch had initially confused viewers, with fans questioning whether Ballas had really performed the demanding moves herself.
Comments included: “Wait a damn minute… Shirley Ballas busting out these moves was not on my bingo card,” and: “DID SHIRLEY BALLAS JUST BACKFLIP INTO A WORM OMG I LOVE THIS SHOW.”
Others asked: “Who was Shirley’s stunt double?” and “Omg! Was this Shirley Ballas or a stunt double!!? She’s 66, people! Incredible.”
Fans later praised the transition between Ballas and Warr, with one writing: “Well on first watch, you had me fooled. Alexis is a very good younger Shirley.”
Another said the changeover had been so smooth that their children did not believe the flips had been performed by a double, while another fan described the stunt as “genius”.
