Shirley Ballas
| Shirley Ballas | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Shirley Rich 17 September 1960 Wallasey, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England |
| Other names | The Queen of Latin[1] |
| Occupation | Dancer, dance teacher, dance adjudicator |
| Known for |
Dancing with the Stars US Strictly Come Dancing |
| Spouse(s) |
Sammy Stopford (m. 1980; div. 1984) Corky Ballas (m. 1985; div. 2007) |
| Children | Mark Ballas |
Shirley Ballas (née Rich; born 17 September 1960)[2] is an English ballroom dancer, dance teacher, and dance adjudicator from Wallasey, Merseyside. She specialises in the International Latin division, where she won several championship titles which earned her the nickname "The Queen of Latin".[2]
Life and dancing career
Ballas was born and raised in Wallasey, England, and began dancing at the age of seven, taking part in her first lesson in her local hall and began her competitive dancing career aged eight.[3][2]
At 15, she moved to North Yorkshire to partner British Ballroom Champion Nigel Tiffany, with whom she became engaged to at the age of 16.[2] However, the couple never married and her first marriage was in 1980 to her new professional British dance partner at the time, Sammy Stopford.[2][4] As dance partners, they came second in the 1982, 1983 & 1985 Professional World Latin Dance Championships.[5] The pair won the 1983 International Latin American Dance Championship,[6] and were the 1984 UK Open Champions in Professional Latin. The couple split in 1984.
A year later, in 1985, she married Corky Ballas.[7] Together they won the International Latin American Dance Championship for 1995, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. They met at a Latin competition in Montreal, Canada. The pair moved to Houston, Texas to compete in the USA. Their only child, professional ballroom dancer Mark Ballas, was born in 1986.[4] The couple divorced in 2007.[2]
Ballas stopped competing in dance competitions in 1996, becoming a dance coach and judge for ballroom and Latin American competitions.[8]
Television
Dancing with the Stars
Ballas has appeared on Dancing with the Stars, giving masterclass lessons and commentating on the show.[2][9]
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.[10][2]
References
- ↑ "Shirley Ballas referred to as The Queen of Latin".
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 McCahill, Elaine (9 May 2017). "Shirley Ballas is taking over from Len Goodman on Strictly - but who is she?". The Sun. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ↑ Groome, Imogen (9 May 2017). "Who is new Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas?". Metro. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- 1 2 "Shirley's History: Setting the Record Straight". Shirley Ballas official site. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010.
- ↑ "Dance Sports: World Latin Championship". sports123.com. 7 September 2004.
- ↑ Programme of 2009 57th International Championships gives complete lists of previous placings.
- ↑ Pritchard, Rose & Lawrence, Julia,Abby & Rebecca. "Shirley Ballas is confirmed as new head judge on Strictly Come Dancing". Mail Online. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing's new head judge - who is Shirley Ballas? | Press and Journal". Press and Journal. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ↑ "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.