Ed Balls Is 'Annoying Other Strictly Contestants' Backstage

Ed Balls became pretty skilled at getting up people’s noses during his stint as Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, and the ex-MP seems to be picking up where he left off behind the scenes on Strictly Come Dancing.

This time it’s showtunes rather than economic theory that’s winding people up.

Apparently the 49-year old’s fellow contestants are being driven mad by his penchant for belting out West End hits at an ear-splitting volume.

“It’s really annoying and cringeworthy because he’s not totally awful, but not good really either,” explained an insider on the show.

“Some of us think he does it because he’s nervous and others think he’s fishing for compliments and attention. Whatever the reason he’s really annoyed everyone by doing it and we wish he’d stop.”

Keep up the good work, Ed!

It seems like the ex-MP for Morley and Outwood just can’t stop himself from crooning. He’s already been given a ticking off for mouthing the lyrics to Ray Charles’ Shake A Tail Feather during his first dance on the show.

It seems you just can’t shut the man up.

Ed has already admitted it was “pretty traumatic” watching replays of his first performance on the show, even admitting he had the “grace of a slug’.”

“I mean look, maybe I will emerge from my chrysalis. Or it may turn out I was a slug all along.”

The showtune-singing slug is back on our screens this Saturday at 9pm.