Strictly: Shirley Ballas makes scoring blunder
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Shirley Ballas, 62, has opened up about the tough time she’s had in the dance industry over the years, revealing that she was a victim of “bullying”. The star then got emotional as she explained that Strictly Come Dancing had “restored her hope”.
In a tell-all interview, Shirley admitted that after years of abuse and bullying both on and off the dance floor, she came close to giving up her career.
Speaking about the world of dance, she revealed: “It’s a strange world, a small world, a bubble, and a very nasty one.”
Shirley explained that “being bullied was a big part of her life” as a dancer and that she felt she was constantly on “the edge of a nervous breakdown.”
She reflected: “In our industry there are men at the top who are bullies, who like to control everything that goes on.
“They don’t like successful women, or women who have a voice or women who try to speak for other people. Our industry right now is divided because of this bullying. I was bullied for many, many years.”
Speaking about the industry-wide sexism in the world of dance she went on to describe how she had “no support” and that “not one person” stood up for her.
In the interview with You Magazine, Shirley went on to reveal that she also had no solace at home, as her marriages – first to Sammy Stopford when she was just 17 years old and then to her dance partner Corky Ballas who she married in 1984 – were also tough.
Shirley opened up about her failed marriage to Corky and how he controlled her diet in her autobiography, Behind the Sequins.
In one disturbing story, she described how her ex supposedly hid a cockroach under the chocolate icing of the doughnuts she craved while pregnant with her son to “save me from myself”.
The many trials Shirley endured throughout her life as a dancer left her on the verge of quitting by 2016, but it was her son, Mark Ballas, who convinced her to join Strictly Come Dancing.
This new gig on BBC One proved to be life changing for the dancer, who reflected: “For me, there are two doors: one to my industry and one to Strictly. And when I open the Strictly one it goes to a safe place for me.”
Tearing up, she continued: “Oh, I am getting all emotional, but for me Strictly is like going to Disneyland. I don’t have to worry about bullying, don’t have to worry about how I look, everyone at the BBC is totally encouraging and supportive – more than they realise. It’s given me back my hope and self-acceptance.”
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Since Strictly, Shirley has also met her “incredible boyfriend” Danny Taylor, 48, who she met while doing a pantomime gig in Liverpool back in 2018.
The pair appear to be very happy together and Shirley will no doubt be thrilled that her autobiography is now being turned into a Broadway show.
Shirley’s son Mark, 36, has been a part of Strictly’s US equivalent show Dancing with the Stars since 2007.
Meanwhile, Shirley has been with Strictly since 2017, taking over from Len Goodman as head judge.
The award-winning dancer, whose several championship title wins earned her the nickname “The Queen of Latin”, has returned for the latest series, which aired 23 September.
She joins judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke, who has returned after making a successful judging debut last year.
Some of the high-profile celebrities taking to the floor for this year’s series include football’s Tony Adams, Countryfile’s Helen Skelton and Coronation Street’s Kym Marsh.
Strictly Come Dancing: The Results airs at 7.20pm tonight on BBC One.
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