Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas issues apology after Tasers comment

ok.co.uk:

Shirley Ballas was forced to backtrack on telling women they should carry Tasers to protect themselves.The Strictly Come Dancing judge suggested that woman should carry the weapon but later apologised when she was informed that they are illegal for personal use.The 63-year-old had not realised that Tasers, which can shock people with a 50,000 volt charge, are only allowed to be used by trained police in the UK.

She made the comments on BBC Radio 4's Women's Hour, when she said: "All women in today's society should become more vigilant.

It's important that people take care of themselves, maybe carry Tasers, things like that. "My message goes out to all women, not just women in 'profile' it's taking care of yourself, it's educating yourself. "What can you do if you were in a situation that happened to take hold of you, that you had no idea what to do." Host Krupa Padhy quickly jumped in and said: "We must say that stun guns or tasers are prohibited weapons and it is an offence to possess them." Shirley later said: "I apologise for my comments.

I did not know Tasers were illegal in the UK, and I do not encourage violence in any way shape or form. "I wanted to get the message across that women should feel empowered to protect themselves, and incorrectly mentioned the use of Tasers." The comments come after Shirley admitted she was "nervous" about being in the public eye, especially given the recent alleged plot to kidnap Holly Willoughby.