Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin was seen comforting Strictly judge Shirley Ballas as she prepares to face her stalker Kyle Shaw in court
A teary Shirley Ballas was comforted by her Strictly Come Dancing colleague Nikita Kuzmin.
Shirley is set to face her stalker Kyle Shaw in court in just a few days time. Kyle Shaw, 37, appeared before a judge in Sefton fter being accused of causing serious distress to the BBC star between 2017 and 2023. The man was charged with stalking and a separate charge of possessing cannabis and Shirley is reportedly set to face him in court in a few days time.
An onlooker noted that Shirley was visibly sad and was nearly crying as she was given a hug by the professional dancer after they did a dance class together. In new photos, Nikita can be seen embracing Shirley as they wrap up warm in the cold UK weather.
Shirley previously opened up to The Mirror’sInvite Onlypodcast about her stalker. She recalled: “There was one particular person who was kind of stalking me. That is under investigation at the moment, as we speak.
“I know his computer and phone, everything has been confiscated. He was taking pictures of my house, he had my house, he had my car. So, yes, there have been times when I have been fearful. I meet people and they really, the majority of people are fantastic, but then once or twice you’ll, they lunge…. this one particular person will lunge at me, and he really feels he knows me. He feels he knows me. But he only knows me from the TV. Or from following me on social media. And that’s quite alarming.”
She added: “I always have George, the guy who’s driven me for the last five years, get out of the car first, always scanning. I wouldn’t say it’s the healthiest thing. You know, I like to be kind of like a free bird, but we’re coming into times now where you have to be more vigilant of yourself. I am a very vigilant person. When I go out, I’m careful not to go alone.
“If it’s at night, I’m always a little bit nervous. There’s what you read on social media, (and then) particularly with Holly – her experiences. So, yeah, I don’t take anything lightly. There are many amazing people, but there are a few strange people out there. It’s quite hard, and makes you always a little bit more precautious.”
Shirley said at the time that the BBC have been fantastic and she has felt “very protected”.
“You’re upping your level of alarms. And (now) I always tell my mum: ‘I’m here, I’ve arrived’. I wouldn’t bother normally but it’s become a thing that we do. I always like to say: ‘I’m safe, I’m in the right place, I’m where I should be.’ Thankfully the BBC’s duty of care towards me has been one thousand percent, they have been fantastic,” she said.
“So, in some of these instances, when it was difficult – this stalker came from the north of England – I had somebody that was walking me from the hotel to here, they checked in on me to make sure that I was ok. I just felt very well protected.”
Shirley is currently with the rest of the Strictly Come Dancing cast as they take their live tour across the UK.
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