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Privacy Notice As Strictly Come Dancing celebrates its milestone anniversary, head judge Shirley Ballas is back for her eighth series – and says there’s nowhere she would rather be. “Strictly is so special to me and to the nation, there’s a reason it’s been around for 20 years,” she tells OK! “There’s just something so magical about it, and when you step onto that ballroom floor you really do feel it.” “I’d never want to leave Strictly ,” she has previously told us, adding, “I’ll be on TV and on the tour for as long as they’ll have me. I love Strictly. It’s like a day at Disneyland for me. When it’s ‘lights, camera, action’ I forget everything that’s gone on in the week.” Shirley stepped into the late Len Goodman’s shoes in 2017, after he decided to retire from the show to focus on family life. Since then, the 64-year-old Merseyside-born “Queen of Latin” has brought her warmth and sparkle to Saturday nights, giving her expert insight into the technical finesse behind each performance. Shirley started dancing when she was seven years old and began performing competitively just a few years later, recalling how, “somehow, ballroom and Latin overtook everything in my life”. A professional dancer for much of her adult life, Shirley is a three-time “British Open to the World” Latin American Champion, 10-time US Latin American Champion, and British National Champion numerous times over – and that’s to name just a few of her impressive accolades on the dance floor.
Shirley joined strictly in 2017
Shirley stepped back from entering ballroom competitions herself back in 1996, and instead turned her attention to teaching and judging the next generation of aspiring dancers. There’s no doubt this experience prepared Shirley for her role on Strictly . Reflecting on her judging journey during an interview with the Invite Only podcast earlier this year, she said, “I think I’ve grown into the job. In that first series I was quite strict, because in our industry everybody says it as it is, and you say it with this [stern] kind of facial expression.
Shirley’s son is Mark Ballas, who is an American dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
“But I’ve learnt over the years to ask it with a smile and a sort of, ‘What’s that footwork darling? What’s going on with those legs?’ So I’ve learnt how to do it and how to break down walls, so people can see the real you. But it’s taken time. “I think I’m going into an era now, for however long it lasts, with a lot more comfort and with a lot more delivery of my own messages.” While Shirley is certainly brimming with confidence these days, it wasn’t the case when she encountered the show’s producers for the first time.
Craig and Shirley judge on Strictly
Recalling her first screen test for the judging role, she said, “It was awful. I flew over, I had a bad back, I had this long evening dress, they put me with eyelashes and hair – which I was used to – put me in a room with cameras and lights, and Craig Revel Horwood, who I had never met before, sat down next to me. “And then up on the screen they said, ‘OK Shirley, we’re going to flash some people on the screen and you have 15 seconds to critique that person.’ So I’m sitting there, ready, thinking, ‘I’ve got this’ and then up comes Ann Widdecombe in a yellow dress, spinning on the floor. I’d never seen anything like it in my life! “I thought, ‘Where do I start? She’s so cute.’ But then Craig turned to me and said, ‘You have 15 seconds, darling. Get your critique out this week.’”
Shirley said she thought Mark was a girl in the ultrasounds
Shirley was convinced she hadn’t performed to the best of her abilities, but just hours before she was due to fly back to her then-home in the States, she received a life-changing phone call from Strictly producer Louise Rainbow, inviting her back for a second interview. It wasn’t long before her place in Strictly Come Dancing history was confirmed, with Louise describing her as the “perfect fit” for the show. Away from our screens, Shirley enjoys a quieter life with her boyfriend, actor Danny Taylor, 51. They have been in a relationship for five years, and Shirley says it’s his ability to “light up a room” that she fell for, adding, “He can make anybody laugh, even if they’re having a down day.” She has shared her home in north London with her beloved mum Audrey since 2021, after Audrey battled breast cancer. And her mum is always there to support Shirley when she’s finished a gruelling Saturday at the BBC studios.
Shirley has been in a relationship with her boyfriend Danny for 5 years
“I get home about 12.30 in the morning,” Shirley told us during last year’s series. “My mum is waiting for me with a cup of tea for a debrief. God help me if I said something she didn’t agree with… That’s more scary than a 15 million-strong audience!” The latest love of her life is her baby grandson Banksi Wylde Ballas, who her son, former Dancing With The Stars professional Mark Ballas, and his wife BC Jean welcomed last November. “I’ve never been as excited about anything as I am about this,” she told OK ! Upon his arrival. “It’s absolutely joyous.”
Shirley says Strictly is her greatest achievement
Along with her family, Shirley considers Strictly to be one of her greatest accomplishments, and is eager for viewers to tune in again for this milestone year and appreciate every twist, twirl and gravity-defying lift. “I’ve been dancing all my life and I’m overjoyed that Latin and ballroom dance is now something that’s woven into the fabric of British television for everyone to enjoy,” she says, in a heartfelt nod to the show’s enduring legacy. “It’s going to be absolutely spectacular.”
Celebrating 20 years of Strictly Come Dancing
In this special commemorative edition of OK!, we celebrate two glorious decades of one of the nation’s favourite TV shows As the new series kicks off, we look back at the winners who have danced their way to the top of Britain’s sparkliest dance competition and remember the iconic performances that have provided moments of joy, tears and laughter We also pay tribute to Strictly’s hosts, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, the hard-working professional dancers and, of course, legendary judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton du Beke Click here to purchase your edition for £9.99.
Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnStrictly Come DancingShirley BallasCraig Revel HorwoodLen GoodmanDancing With the Stars
