BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Shirley Ballas eats same two things every day
Strictly Come Dancing's head judge, Shirley Ballas has revealed her simple diet that keeps her trim. The 64 year old judge revealed that she consumes the same two-ingredient meal every day - chicken with lemon.
In the past, Shirley has openly discussed her struggles with weight management and how she managed to shed 9lb in a week through a rigorous bootcamp-style routine. To keep up with the weight loss, she adopted this simple protein-rich meal plan.
During an appearance on the Comfort Eating podcast with Grace Dent last year, Shirley confessed that she steers clear of the food provided backstage at Strictly, labelling it as "calorie food".
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She explained: "I like to walk around the table because they have lots of yummy cakes, sweets and biscuits, and they have all sorts of fantastic food, but it definitely is calorie food, because the dancers are dancing all day and are young with fabulous bodies. Nope, I get my chicken from Marks and Spencer or Sainsbury's that has been cooked. They bring me a lot of salad and we might have a little bit of sushi in the afternoon."
When asked if the chicken was marinated in anything, Shirley added: "Just lemon chicken and then I cut it. But it's a hot chicken that has just been baked and that's what I have on Strictly. I have had that every year, every week.", reports the Mirror.
Over the years, Shirley has faced criticism about her body during her career as a professional dancer. Despite the negative comments, she now says she "feels proud of herself".
She recounted: "I've constantly had people tell me I needed to be thinner or that I had to look a certain way. Comments throughout my life have always stuck with me and in my past they've made me feel conscious of how I look. Sadly I thought that validation from others was necessary."
Shirley commented: "I'm proud of myself and pleased with how I look. I feel good in my own skin."
Strictly Come Dancing is set to light up screens again tonight on BBC One at 7pm. Anticipation builds as the celebs gear up to perform live for the very first time, with the comforting knowledge that no one will be sent packing this evening.