STRICTLY star Shirley Ballas added some TV sparkle to the Age UK ukulele band's Christmas dinner – and hit the dancefloor with a 99-year-old with some winning moves.

Ms Ballas, who is familiar to millions as Strictly Come Dancing’s head judge, was invited to Age UK’s Bradbury House in Darlington to surprise life-long dancing fan and ukulele player Bill Blewitt, 99.

And despite struggling with a hamstring injury, Ms Ballas didn’t hesitate to hit the dancefloor with Mr Blewitt to the Latin tune ‘Sway’ backed by the Age UK ukulele band.

After posing for photos with fans, Ms Ballas told The Northern Echo that it had been a pleasure to attend and spread some Christmas cheer.

She said: “My mum is 82 and she is just so full of life still, she loves it when I go there and we get the guitar out and have a sing-song.

“We are all hitting it (old age) and we should respect and give time where we can to brighten people’s day.

“We just love visiting places like this, even if it is only for half an hour, and the fact that everybody was a Strictly fan was a bonus!”

And just when international champion dancer Ms Ballas may have thought she'd done it all in dance, she claimed a new first with Mr Blewitt.

"Dancing with Bill at 99 means he is the oldest man I have ever danced with," she said.

"I've danced with a 95-year-old before, but this tops it."

She joked that Mr Blewitt was 'singing most beautifully in her ear' during their dance and when asked how she rated his moves, she said: "He would have to get an 11 out of ten. Bill was off the chart and his singing was divine. It was all lovely, really lovely."

Mr Blewitt, who had no idea Ms Ballas was going to gatecrash his ukulele band session, said he loved to dance and enjoyed his unexpected turn with 'The Queen of Latin'.

He said: "I do like to dance, I dance with the office girls in the corridor.

"It has been the best thing I have ever done, joining this ukulele band."

Fellow band member Anne-Marie Crossley said he had been 'overwhelmed by it all', adding: "It was a lovely occasion."

Band member Steve Bingham was instrumental in organising the visit and said it couldn't have gone better.

He said: "Every time we play the song 'Sway', all the girls come out of the office and start dancing in the corridor and Bill is up on his feet dancing with them.

"It has been fantastic seeing him dance that song with Shirley - she injured her leg last week but she still had a lovely dance with Bill."

Ms Ballas is currently starring in Darlington Hippodrome's pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk and her panto co-star and partner, Daniel Taylor, accompanied her on the visit to Age UK.

Mr Taylor, who plays the villain Fleshcreep in the show, said he was delighted to meet the ukulele band members and stressed the importance of looking out for the elderly, particularly over the festive period.

He added: "I think it is really important that we all get together and this is a great way to get together though music.

"The ukulele has a lot of character and it is great to see it bring people together like this."