Strictly's Shirley Ballas responds as comedian goes viral with "outstanding" impersonation

Strictly Come Dancing star Shirley Ballas may be best known for offering her expertise on dancing, but the judge offered her thoughts on an altogether different art form as one comedian delivered an "outstanding" routine.

Amy Nic, a comedian and impressionist from the north of England, delivered her latest work via Instagram following Saturday's (10 October) live show, and she was certainly inspired by Shirley's presence.

Amy, sat on a table with Strictly playing in the background, donned her best black dress and changed her hair to impersonate Shirley, with the clip being taken from her post-dance feedback for Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley.

Related: Best streaming services UK 2026 – including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV

The skit and impersonation was widely praised by fans, with Shirley even liking it as she told Amy via the comment section: "I am absolutely HOWLING... you are quite simply outstanding."

Several followers loved the accurate impression too, with one asking if Shirley and Amy could go on the show together side-by-side. Another viewer also admired the video, commenting to Shirley: "She’s more you than you."

La Voix, who appeared on last year's season of the BBC series, wrote: "The. Bin bags!!! @shirleyballas could wear anything and look amazing! I did think it was a scrunchie for her hair that she'd forgot to take off her wrist!"

"All I could think of when watching Shirley on Saturday night was how are you going to recreate those sleeves!!! 🤣🤪 NAILED IT!!!" wrote another fan, while one Instagram user called the skit the "best one yet".

The latest season of Strictly is now entering the fourth week of competition, with Sunday's (11 October) seeing Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec head home after losing the dance off to Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr.

Related: The BBC responds to latest Strictly Come Dancing controversy

The Welsh actor, known for playing Gwen West in beloved sitcom Gavin & Stacey, said she was surprised that she wasn't the first celebrity to be heading home, and shared that she was happy to have had an "extra week" with Aljaž.

"You showed me what hard work really is and what hard work really means," added the professional dancer. "I wanna finish this for us with a hug, and thank you for every single bit in rehearsals and every single step on that floor."

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.

Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.

The new edition of Legends, a 100-page celebration of Dolly Parton's life, is here. Buy Dolly in newsagents or online.

Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.