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She's been a regular fixture on our TV screens for several years now, and most will know Shirley Ballas as Strictly Come Dancing 's head judge. The professional dancer, 64, is back on the panel for the latest series of the BBC show, joining Anton Du Beke , Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood once again as they look to find the next winner of the Glitterball trophy. As we welcome her back to our TV screens for another round of Strictly, here we take a deep dive into Shirley's life away from the BBC One show, including her marriages , professional dance career and family tragedy... Shirley Annette Rich was born in 1960 and raised in Wallasey. She grew up with her mum Audrey and brother David, after her father left when she was two years old. Shirley started dancing at the age of seven and soon began performing competitively. At age 15, Shirley relocated to Shipley in West Yorkshire to live with the family of new partner Nigel Tiffany, a British Ballroom Champion. Two years later, she and Nigel relocated to London, but their partnership came to an end when Shirley was persuaded to audition to partner with Sammy Stopford. Shirley retired from dance competitions in 1996. Shirley kicked off her TV career in 2017 when she joined the judging panel of Strictly Come Dancing. She replaced Len Goodman as Head Judge on the BBC dance show. She has appeared on Dancing with the Stars, giving master classes and providing commentary on the hit show. In 2024, Shirley took part in The Masked Singer and competed as the character Rat. She was unmasked during the third episode of the series. She's also took part in Who Do You Think You Are?, The Great British Sewing Bee, The Wheel, Taskmaster and Celebrity Bear Hunt. In 2003, Shirley's brother David took his own life at the age of 44. The TV star was left "absolutely devastated" by his death. She has since worked with the mental health charity Campaign Against Living Miserably, known as CALM. In 2023, Shirley completed the zip wire challenge at Zip World and planned other challenges, such as a 700-ft wing walk, to raise money for the charity. Shirley's first marriage was to ballroom dancer and teacher Sammy Stopford. The duo got hitched in 1980, when Shirley was 18 years old, and their marriage lasted five years. In 1985, Shirley got married for a second time to American ballrom dancer Corky Ballas. The couple competed in dance competitions together and even relocated to Houston, Texas to compete in the US. In 1986, Shirley welcomed her first child, Mark, with Corky, whose real name is Mark Alexander. The pair's son followed in their footsteps and is also a professional dancer, known for competing on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Shirley and Corky divorced in 2007. She has since dated actor Danny Taylor, with the pair becoming engaged at one point. However, in late 2024 it was reported that Danny and Shirley had parted ways after a six-year romance. Shirley previously revealed she'd changed her mind about getting married for a third time following her two divorces. In February 2025, a 37-year-old man pleaded guilty to a charge of stalking Shirley and causing her "serious harm or distress" between August 2017 and November 2023, during a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court. It was reported that the man's actions had a "substantial adverse effect" on Shirley's day-to-day life, prompting her to increase her security, relocate her mother to a new property and alter her social and work schedules. Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday on BBC One.
