Shirley Ballas Biography
Shirley Ballas is an English ballroom dancer, dance instructor, and adjudicator. She specializes in the International Latin division, where she has won numerous championship medals, earning her the nickname “Queen of Latin.”
How old is Shirley Ballas? – Age
She is 63 years old as of 6 September 2023. She was born in 1960 in Wallasey, United Kingdom. Her real name is Shirley Annette Ballas.
Shirley Ballas Family – Education
Ballas was born and raised in Wallasey, Cheshire (now Merseyside), England, alongside brother David and mother Audrey. Shirley’s father left the family when she was two years old. Ballas went to Shipley, West Yorkshire, at the age of 15 to live with the family of her new boyfriend, British Ballroom Champion Nigel Tiffany, which she described as “a difficult time”.
How many husbands has Shirley from Strictly had? – Does Shirley Ballas have a child?
She has been married twice. She relocated with Tiffany to London, but their union ended after dance teacher Nina Hunt persuaded her to audition with dancer Sammy Stopford. Ballas was 18 when the couple married, and the relationship ended five years later. As dance partners, their finest achievement was winning Professional Latin at the Blackpool Dance Festival in 1983.
In 1985, she married Corky Ballas, an American ballroom dancer. In 1995 and 1996, they won the Professional Latin category at the Blackpool Dance Festival. The pair relocated to Houston, Texas, to compete in the United States. Their only child, Mark Ballas, a professional ballroom dancer, was born in 1986. The couple divorced in 2007.
Shirley Ballas Net Worth
She has an estimated net worth of $6 million.
Shirley Ballas Height
She stands at a height of 5 feet 2 inches(1.59 m).
Shirley Ballas The Masked Singer – Career
In January 2024, Ballas played the character “Rat” in the fifth season of The Masked Singer: UK. She was eliminated and revealed in the third episode. Ballas has participated on Dancing with the Stars, teaching master lessons and commentating on the show. On May 9, 2017, it was announced that Ballas would replace Len Goodman as head judge on BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing. She made her debut appearance on the panel four months later, on September 9, 2015, during the season 15 opening event.
Ballas retired from competitive dancing in 1996 to become a dance coach and judge for ballroom and Latin American contests. In December 2023, Ballas appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, where she chose “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana, “Moon River” by Frank Sinatra, and “Highs and Lows” by Alexander Jean. Ballas’ brother, David, committed suicide at the age of 44 in 2003. Ballas was “absolutely devastated” and now works for the mental health nonprofit Campaign Against Living Miserably. In August 2023, Ballas completed the zipwire challenge at Zip World in Penrhyn Quarry, Gwynedd, and planned a 700-foot wing walk and 15,000-foot skydiving to benefit the charity.
Shirley Ballas Movies and TV Shows
♦ 2017–present – Strictly Come Dancing
♦ 2018 – Loose Women
♦ 2018 – Who Do You Think You Are?
♦ 2019 – Our School Summer
♦ 2020 – The Great British Sewing Bee
♦ 2020 – The Wheel
♦ 2021 – Taskmaster
♦ 2021 – Saturday Kitchen
♦ 2024 – The Masked Singer UK