Shirley Ballas
Shirley Ballas | |
|---|---|
 Ballas in 2020 | |
| Born | Shirley Annette Rich 6 September 1960 Wallasey, England |
| Other names | Queen of Latin |
| Occupation(s) | Dancer, dance teacher and dance adjudicator |
| Known for | Strictly Come Dancing |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Mark Ballas |
Shirley Annette Ballas (née Rich, formerly Stopford; born 6 September 1960)[1] is an English ballroom dancer, dance teacher, and dance adjudicator. She specialises in the International Latin division, where she won several championship titles which earned her the nickname the Queen of Latin.[2]
In 2017, Ballas was appointed head judge on the BBC TV show, Strictly Come Dancing following the departure of Len Goodman.
Life and dancing career
[edit]Ballas was born as Shirley Annette Rich on 6 September 1960 and was raised in Wallasey, Cheshire (now Merseyside), England, with brother David and mother Audrey. The children's father left the family when Shirley was 2 years old.[1] She began dancing at age 7, and began performing competitively the following years.[1][3] In 2018, Ballas discovered, when appearing on Who Do You Think You Are?, that she was descended from an enslaved Muslim woman from Madagascar.[4]
At the age of 15, Ballas moved to Shipley, West Yorkshire to live with the family of new partner, British Ballroom Champion, Nigel Tiffany, which she described as "a difficult time".[1] Two years later, she moved with Tiffany to London, where their partnership ended after dance teacher Nina Hunt convinced her to audition to partner with dancer Sammy Stopford.[1] The two married when Ballas was 18, with the relationship ending five years later.[1] As dance partners, their best result was winning Professional Latin at Blackpool Dance Festival in 1983.[5]
In 1985, she married American ballroom dancer Corky Ballas.[1] Together their best results were winning Professional Latin at Blackpool Dance Festival in 1995[6] and 1996[7] The pair moved to Houston, Texas to compete in the US. Their only child, professional ballroom dancer Mark Ballas, was born in 1986.[1] The couple divorced in 2007.[8][9]
Ballas stopped competing in dance competitions in 1996, becoming a dance coach and judge for ballroom and Latin American competitions.[10]
In December 2023 Ballas was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, where her choices included "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, "Moon River" by Frank Sinatra, "Highs and Lows" by Alexander Jean.[11]
Television career
[edit]Dancing with the Stars
[edit]Ballas has appeared on Dancing with the Stars, giving master classes and commentating on the show.[12]
Strictly Come Dancing
[edit]On 9 May 2017, it was announced that Ballas would be joining the judging panel of Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One, replacing Len Goodman as head judge. She made her first appearance on the panel four months later - at the launch show of series 15 on 9 September that year.[13]
The Masked Singer UK
[edit]In January 2024, Ballas participated in the fifth series of The Masked Singer UK as the character "Rat". She was eliminated and unmasked in the third episode.[14]
Advocacy
[edit]Ballas' brother David took his own life, aged 44, in 2003. Ballas was "absolutely devastated" and now works with mental health charity the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). In August 2023, Ballas completed the zipwire challenge at Zip World at Penrhyn Quarry in Gwynedd, and planned a 700 ft wing walk and 15,000 ft skydive, to raise money for the charity.[15]
Personal life
[edit]In November 2024 it was reported that Ballas had parted from her fiancé Danny Taylor, after six years together. Ballas revealed that she had "changed her mind" about marriage after previously going through two divorces.[16][17]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–present | Strictly Come Dancing | Head judge | Series 15–present |
| 2018 | Loose Women | Guest panelist | |
| 2018 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Participant | |
| 2019 | Our School Summer | Narrator | |
| 2020 | The Great British Sewing Bee | Participant | |
| 2020 | The Wheel | Celebrity expert | |
| 2021 | Taskmaster | Participant | Winner |
| 2021 | Saturday Kitchen | Participant | |
| 2024 | The Masked Singer UK | Participant | Unmasked as Rat. |
| 2024 | Doctor Who | Dancer | 1 episode ("The Devil's Chord") |
Books
[edit]- Behind the Sequins: My Life (BBC Books, October 2020) ISBN 9781785945113
- Murder on the Dance Floor (HQ Books, October 2023) ISBN 9780008558000
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h "Shirley's History: Setting the Record Straight". Shirley Ballas official site. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010.
- ^ "Welcome 'The Queen of Latin' Shirley Ballas, to our judging panel". BBC One. 9 May 2017. Archived from the original on 30 September 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ Groome, Imogen (9 May 2017). "Who is new Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas?". Metro. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ Thorne, Nick. ""Clara was a bit of a party girl – lively and adventurous..."". The Genealogist. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ "DancesportInfo.net".
- ^ "DancesportInfo.net".
- ^ "DancesportInfo.net".
- ^ McCormack, Kirsty (3 August 2021). "Shirley Ballas' ex-husband Corky told her she wasn't 'entitled' to his surname". The Mirror. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Strictly's Shirley Ballas reunites with ex-husband Corky for this special reason". HELLO!. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing's new head judge - who is Shirley Ballas? | Press and Journal". Press and Journal. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Shirley Ballas, dance judge". BBC.
- ^ "Who is the new Strictly Come Dancing judge?". BBC News. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ Ballas, Shirley (9 May 2017). "Shirley Ballas on Twitter: "I am so excited and over the moon to announce that I will be joining the judging panel on @BBCstrictly!". Twitter. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ Chinn, Natalie. "Masked Singer's Rat revealed to be Strictly judge Shirley Ballas". The Independent. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Strictly's Shirley Ballas's charity zipwire for suicide prevention". 8 August 2023 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Shirley Ballas splits from fiancé Danny Taylor after six years - report". HELLO!. 6 November 2024.
- ^ Tulloch, Sarah (6 November 2024). "Strictly's Shirley Ballas explains why she called off wedding to ex-fiancé". OK! Magazine.