Tennis coach and television personality Judy Murray took part in hit reality competition Strictly Come Dancing in 2014, and excelled at the variety of ballroom dancing.
The 59-year-old was paired up with the BBC series’ long-running professional dancer Anton du Beke, and managed to get all the way to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom for a dance extravaganza.
Yet swiping the glitterball trophy wasn’t to be for the Scottish contestant, and she was knocked out following her epic Mary Poppins performance in the penultimate week.
Judy is a self-confessed Strictly fanatic, and while she took part during favourite Len Goodman’s reign on the show, she still thinks 58-year-old Queen of Latin Shirley has something new to bring to the judging panel.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, the star shared: “I think she’s really good. She obviously knows her stuff, I think she communicates it well.
“With the judges, I think you need that mixture of fun, the harshness, the practicality, you need some to be technical, some to be more encouraging perhaps.
“You need a real mix of it.”
Judy went on to speculate over whether viewers have seen the real Shirley yet however, as last year saw the judge gradually dip her toe into her new role.
The tennis aficionado explained: “They are all experts in their particular field of dance and come from different dancing backgrounds.
“But probably because it’s only been her first series – she’s the one you haven’t really got much of a feel for.
“[Dame] Darcey [Bussell], Craig [Revel-Horwood] and Bruno [Tonioli] have been around for a long time.
“You’ll probably find her coming more into her own now she’s settled into it for the second series.”
Judy could be right, as so far the first episode of the dazzling dance competition showed Shirley as arguably the most critical judge, even more so than the notoriously tough Craig, 53.
When Seann Walsh took his first spin across the dance floor Shirley wasted no time in ordering the contestant to sort out his hair and “tidy himself up a bit”.
The comedian emerged from the stage with his professional partner Katya Jones, and appeared to be taking his role impersonating a bodyguard very seriously – all to the soundtrack of Justin Timberlake’s Sexy Back.
The pair kicked and spun their way through the energetic number, before arriving at the judges’ panel to receive their praise or criticism.
But the pair’s attempts weren’t enough to impress the head judge, as Shirley insisted she wanted to see something “a bit more classic”.
How will the contestants fare against the judges during the second show which kicks off tonight? And will tomorrow’s first evictee be unexpected?
Strictly Come Dancing continues tonight at 6.30pm on BBC One.
