Shirley Ballas wants to dance with Sir Tom Jones

Shirley Ballas wants to have Sir Tom Jones' "snake-like hips twirling around" with her on the dancefloor.

The 'Strictly Come Dancing' head judge has a "desire" to do a routine with the 'Sex Bomb' hitmaker, 84, and she hopes it can happen one day.

She told Heat magazine: "I would love to have those snake-like hips twirling around! We would dance the beautiful rhumba - a vertical expression of a horizontal desire.

"The desire would be all mine!"

Meanwhile, her dancer son Mark - who was a pro on 'Dancing with the Stars' from 2007 to 2022 and won three times - told her he'd like to take 'Strictly' co-host Claudia Winkleman, 52, for a spin.

When asked if girl power is important, Shirley answered: "We've got women supporting women on 'Strictly Come Dancing', for sure.

"But I have to say, I said to my son Mark, who lives in Los Angeles, 'There are lots of ladies to choose from,' and he goes, 'Mum, don't be offended, but it's Claudia Winkleman!'

"Our Claude is a huge success on the other side of the Atlantic."

Despite people supporting each other on the programme, it is the viewers who tend to disagree with her and the rest of the judges - Craig Revel Horwood, 59, Motsi Mabuse, 43, and Anton Du Beke, 58 - when someone goes home.

Shirley added: "No matter who goes home, it's always going to be somebody's favourite. It's just about having that respect for the judges when we must choose someone.

"I've got a lot of friends who say, 'You shouldn't have sent that one home!' I'll ask, 'Did you vote?' If they didn't vote, they're not entitled to complain.

"My mother is that armchair watcher - she's sat there in her pink dressing gown, sometimes with her arms folded because she didn't agree with what I said!"

One thing most people can agree with is 47-year-old comedian Chris McCausland - who is the first blind contestant - and his 35-year-old professional dance partner Dianne Buswell have been blowing audiences and the four judges away each week with their routines.

Talking of her emotions when seeing him take to the ballroom floor, Shirley admitted: "My emotions come from a place of respect - that a young teacher can go way out of her comfort zone to give the very best to somebody who has never danced before and also can't see."