A man has appeared in court charged with stalking Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas.
Kyle Shaw, 37, is accused of stalking the 64-year-old between August 31, 2017, and November 29, 2023, by sending her online messages.
He is also charged with possession of a quantity of cannabis.
The defendant, of Whetstone Lane in Birkenhead, Wirral, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday wearing a black coat over a shirt and tie.
No pleas were entered during the hearing, which lasted a few minutes, and Shaw spoke only to confirm his name and that he understood what had been said.
He was given bail with conditions including not to enter London and not to contact Ballas or her partner.
A provisional trial date was set for January 12, next year, with the case expected to last five days.
Judge Robert Trevor-Jones adjourned the case for a hearing on February 25.
A man has appeared in court charged with stalking Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas (pictured)
Kyle Shaw (pictured), 37, is accused of stalking the 64-year-old between August 31, 2017, and November 29, 2023
Shaw is pictured leaving Liverpool Crown Court on February 4 after facing charges against Shirley Ballas
Shirley, originally from Wallasey, Wirral, has been head judge on the BBC show since 2017.
Shirley's scary ordeal comes just a few months after Gavin Plumb was convicted over his attempts to kidnap former This Morning host, Holly Willoughby.
Shirley previously told how she has changed how she is much more aware of her safety ever since Holly's ordeal was made public.
She said: 'I am a very vigilant person. When I go out, I'm careful not to go alone. If it's at night, I'm always a little bit nervous.
'There's what you read on social media, (and then) particularly with Holly - her experiences. So, yeah, I don't take anything lightly.
'There are many amazing people, but there are a few strange people out there. It's quite hard, and makes you always a little bit more precautious.
'You're upping your level of alarms. And (now) I always tell my mum: "I'm here, I've arrived".
I wouldn't bother normally but it's become a thing that we do. I always like to say: "I'm safe, I'm in the right place, I'm where I should be."
'Thankfully the BBC's duty of care towards me has been one thousand percent, they have been fantastic.
'So, in some of these instances, when it was difficult - this stalker came from the north of England - I had somebody that was walking me from the hotel to here, they checked in on me to make sure that I was ok. I just felt very well protected.'
