Shirley Ballas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shirley Ballas
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Born |
Shirley Annette Rich
6 September 1960 Wallasey, England
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Occupation | Dancer, dance teacher and dance adjudicator |
Known for | Strictly Come Dancing |
Spouse(s) |
Sammy Stopford
(m. 1980; div. 1984)Corky Ballas
(m. 1985; div. 2007) |
Children | Mark Ballas |
Shirley Annette Ballas (née Rich, formerly Stopford; born 6 September 1960) 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.
In 2017, Ballas was appointed head judge on the BBC TV show, Strictly Come Dancing following the departure of Len Goodman.
Contents
Life and dancing career
Ballas was born and 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. She began dancing at age 7, and began performing competitively the following years.
At 15, Ballas moved to North Yorkshire to partner British Ballroom Champion Nigel Tiffany, which she described as "a difficult time". 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. The two married when Ballas was 18, with the relationship ending five years later. As dance partners, their best result was winning Professional Latin at Blackpool Dance Festival in 1983.
In 1985, she married Corky Ballas. Together their best results were winning Professional Latin at Blackpool Dance Festival in 1995 and 1996 The pair moved to Houston, Texas to compete in the US. Their only child, professional ballroom dancer Mark Ballas, was born in 1986. The couple later divorced in 2007.
Ballas stopped competing in dance competitions in 1996, becoming a dance coach and judge for ballroom and Latin American competitions.
Television career
Dancing with the Stars
Ballas has appeared on Dancing with the Stars, giving master classes and commentating on the show.
Strictly Come Dancing
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.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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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 |
Books
- Behind the Sequins: My Life (BBC Books, October 2020) ISBN: 9781785945113
- Murder on the Dance Floor (HQ Books, October 2023) ISBN: 9780008558000
See also
In Spanish: Shirley Ballas para niños