Shirley Ballas has forgiven Kristina Rihanoff for falling in love with her husband.
Strictly Come Dancing’s new head judge – who has replaced Len Goodman on the panel – insists there are no hard feelings between her and the professional dancer after she struck up a five-year romance with her spouse Corky Ballas in 2003.
Speaking to the Daily Star newspaper on Sunday, Shirley said: "I’ve had lunch with Kristina. I’m a people person. I love people."
The 56-year-old adjudicator was married to Corky, with whom she has son Mark Ballas, for almost 20 years when he met Kristina and became her dance teacher.
They then embarked on a romance and Shirley filed for divorce from Corky in 2007.
Despite being love rivals once upon a time, Shirley is adamant she’d have "no issues" if Kristina rejoined the ballroom and latin show as a professional in the future.
Speaking of Kristina returning to ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, she explained: "It would be absolutely fine. I have no issues with anybody being on the show at all."
Kristina, 39, was hired as a professional dancer – a role she held for eight years – on the long-running show in 2008 and, during her time on the programme, has had a number of public relationships with fellow dancers and competitors.
She once romanced Vincent Simone – who quit the series in 2012 – before embarking on a relationship with boxer Joe Calzaghe years later after she mentored him.
She was then partnered up with rugby hunk Ben Cohen on the show in 2013 and he split from his childhood sweetheart Abby shortly after the series ended.
A year later, the pair announced they were dating and they now daughter Milena, 15 months, together.
Shirley Ballas forgives Kristina Rihanoff
