Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas has revealed she is ‘hopeless’ at finding love and hasn’t been on a date in three years.
The 57-year-old former dancer told Good Housekeeping that despite being married twice she has remained on good terms with her exes, and is yet to find Mr Right.
Shirley’s love tales came as she prepares to make her grand return to the Strictly judging panel when the BBC primetime favourite returns this September.
Still single: Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas has revealed she is ‘hopeless’ at finding love and hasn’t been on a date in three years
She said: ‘I’m hopeless, hopeless, hopeless! I never get it right. I was engaged at 16 to Nigel Tiffany and he’s now my financial adviser, so we’ve been friends all these years. When I married Sammy [Stopford] my first husband, we were both just so young.
‘But I’ve had a hugely successful career and I owe a lot of what I learnt in the industry to him, because he was already a top professional, and I was a nobody, really.
‘Everybody got married back then, but it just didn’t work. We parted ways then along came Corky [Ballas, Shirley’s second husband] and we had this beautiful boy together.
‘We were together for more than 20 years and I like to think we still have a cordial relationship. But I don’t think I’ve had a date in three years.’
Gorgeous: The 57-year-old dancing legend told Good Housekeeping she is yet to find Mr Right after two failed marriages
Amazing: Shirley joined the Strictly Come Dancing panel last year replacing Len Goodman, and has so far proved a hit with viewers
Shirley was married to dancer Sammy Stepford from 1980 to 1984, and following their split she was married to Corky Ballas from 1985 to 2007.
The dancefloor legend – dubbed ‘The Queen Of Latin – also admitted it was her dancer son Mark who motivated her to join the Strictly panel last year as the head judge to replace Len Goodman, saying it was one of her first big jobs in TV.
She said: ‘My son Mark gave me the push to go for it. I didn’t think it was possible at 57 to be honest, especially when I’d never done TV or anything similar before. I did an interview and they seemed to like it, then when they offered me the job I just fell to my knees.’
Shirley’s chemistry with the judging panel – consisting of Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and Darcey Bussell – went down a hit with viewers last year, and Shirley had nothing but kind words to say about the judges who score each Strictly performance.
Star-studded: Joining Bruno Tonioli, Darcey Bussell and Craig Revel Horwood on the panel, Shirley will be back on Strictly when the BBC favourite returns this September
Open: Shirley also revealed it was her son Mark who motivated her to join the Strictly panel
She said ‘Bruno is absolutely mad as a hatter, a joker, loves to just run around in his underwear. He’s cute, he’s got a great figure and he makes me laugh.
‘Darcey is my Snow White. She’s got the most beautiful complexion and perfect posture. Darcey is just the epitome of femininity for me. I love her sweeping movements and the way she explains things. She’s an absolute gem.’
‘Craig was the first one to send me flowers – he has a beautiful heart. His bark is worse than his bite – he’s a total sweetheart!’
Sweet: Shirley also had nothing but kind words to say about mum Audrey, saying she’s ‘the most supportive person’
Proud: Audrey raised Shirley and her brother as a single mum, after the children’s father walked out on the family when Shirley was just two years old
Shirley also gushed about her mum Audrey who raised her and her brother David along after her father walked out on the family when she was just two years old.
‘She was always the most supportive person,’ she said.
The full interview appears in the October issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale 31st August
‘I watched her work hard and I watched her count her money out and what could go towards dancing and what had to go towards bills.
‘I got that work ethic. She’s a super strong lady and I’ve been close to her my whole life. We have two or three phone calls a day and we’ve lived together since Mark was two.
‘Wherever I go, she goes. I focus my time on her….Right now she’s going through some quite serious health issues, but she’s a fighter.’
The full interview appears in the October issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale 31st August