HEAD GIRL: ‘SENDING DANCERS HOME ON STRICTLY MAKES MY HEART HEAVY'

HEAD JUDGE SHIRLEY BALLAS ON COPING WITH SOCIAL MEDIA TROLLING AND HER FAVOURITE EVER STRICTLY PERFORMANCES

- ANNA POINTER

A former professional dancer who has attained fame and glory all over the world, Shirley Ballas knows exactly what she’s talking about as Strictly Come Dancing’s head judge. The 61-year-old, dubbed “The Queen of Latin”, has been dancing since she was seven, and by the age of 21 had won a host of world titles.

With a 40-year career under her belt, Shirley landed Strictly’s coveted judging role after the departure of Len Goodman in 2017. This series, she presides over fellow judges Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel-Horwood and Anton Du Beke.

Shirley, who has also appeared on US show Dancing With The Stars and is a frequent guest on ITV’s Loose Women, has had a dramatic personal life too – which she documents in new autobiography Behind The Sequins. The book recounts her often heartbreaking journey in which she left home at 14, tragically lost her brother to suicide and came through two broken marriages.

Known for her warm and open nature, Shirley has often joked about her love life – once quipping that she “collects husbands” like Elizabeth Taylor. She was married at 18 to dancer Sammy Stopford, then to dancer Corky Ballas in 1985. She met current beau Danny Taylor, 47, when they both starred in a production of Jack And The Beanstalk in 2018. And with recent speculation that she could be gearing up for marriage number three, it seems Shirley has found true happiness with the actor.