EXCLUSIVE: BBC Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has faced criticism for saving Wynne Evans, and Brendan Cole has reacted to the decision

Strictly Come Dancing viewers were in uproar after Shirley Ballas opted to save Wynne Evans over Shayne Ward in the dance-off. Former show legend Brendan Cole shared his thoughts on the decision by taking aim at both the head judge, 64, and Anton Du Beke, 58.

The 48-year-old identified a key error that both judges failed to spot during Sunday night’s results show.

Shayne, 40, and Nancy Xu, 33, were voted out of the competition after performing their rumba to Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time Again.

They were in the dance-off against Wynne, 52, and Katya Jones, 35, who were saved after dancing their American smooth to Mika’s Grace Kelly for a second time.

Although Brendan admitted the dance-off was a close call for both competitors, the judges who chose to save Wynne “didn’t pick up on his timing” in a show error.

Wynne Evans and Katya Jones

Strictly’s Wynne Evans and Katya Jones was in the dance off (Image: BBC)

Speaking exclusively to Express Online on behalf of Sky Vegas, the professional dancer suggested that timing is a major element in scoring the show’s competitors.

“It was a very close dance-off, so it’s not that far-fetched that they saved him [Wynne Evans],” Brendan explained.

“However, timing is supposed to be the [main] thing, and the judges should have used that as their stake in the ground, but two of them didn’t.”

The judges’ verdicts were split. Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse backed Shayne and Nancy, while Anton Du Beke backed Wynne and Katya.

BBC One Strictly Come Dancing 2011 - Press Launch

Strictly’s Brendan Cole spoke exclusively to Express Online (Image: Getty)

It was down to Shirley to cast the deciding vote, and she chose to save Wynne and Katya, saying: “One of you displayed more of a powerful and joyous routine for me – so it was quite difficult for me to choose, but on this occasion, I’m going to save Wynne and Katya.”

Disgruntled fans shared their disappointment over Shirley’s decision, with some viewers going so far as to call a petition to remove the head judge from the programme.

Shirley was slammed earlier this month after fans of the BBC show revealed that they believed Sam Quek, who was sent home last week, was underscored by the judges.

But now she has hit back and reminded the public that their vote impacts who is selected for the dance-off on Sunday evenings.

The judge said: “The show’s been on over 20 years. The public vote makes a difference.”

Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer