THE Strictly Come Dancing judges have backed down in their pay row with Beeb bosses and signed up for the next series.
Shirley Ballas, Anton du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse will receive an increase thought to be between 3 and 5 per cent.
But that’s far lower than the inflation busting 11 per cent the show’s four stars were demanding from execs on the BBC1 dance contest.
A TV insider: “There was a real stand off between the judges and the Beeb on this issue, with neither side willing to budge for weeks.
“Thankfully they reached this resolution and are now breathing a sigh of relief and able to look forward to the new series.
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“The show simply felt that curing a cost of living crisis, and at a time when the licence fee has been frozen, they couldn’t justify an 11 per cent rise.”
For just three months work that would have equalled a £55,000 pay rise for Shirley, 62, who is thought to be on £500,000.
Craig, 58, and Motsi, 42, are thought to be on around £200,000, which would have been a £22,000 rise, and Anton, 56, is believed to be on around £180,000, so his rise would have been approximately £19,000.
Now the total rise the judges will get is expected to be between £32,000 and £54,000.
All the parties involved with the show were starting to feel like the pay row was becoming a distraction from the upcoming 21st series, which will start in the autumn.
Now all eyes will turn to which professional dancers will be returning to the show this year after they had their pay frozen for 2023.
Last week The Sun exclusively revealed that hugely popular pro Gorka Marquez, 32, had rethought his plans to leave the show after getting the infamous “seven year itch” that’s seen other names leave.
But bosses didn’t need to tempt him to stay by offering him more money.
