Shirley Ballas didn’t shy away from her thoughts on relationships as the Strictly Come Dancing judge, 65, spoke about her split from toyboy fiance Danny Taylor
Shirley Ballas has opened up on her split from toyboy lover Danny Taylor with a blunt message. The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 65, has recently called off her long-term engagement to the 52-year-old, and claimed she has given up in her quest for love.
The breakdown of the latest relationship comes after two failed marriage for the dancing star. Shirley and Danny called time on their pairing in November 2024, and she has now confessed that her struggles holding down a man come from her being “married” to dance.
She was speaking about her potential flaws due to her love of her career and explained: “I’m obsessed with what I am and with what I do. So it’s not just a job for me. I’m married to it.”
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She then confessed: “I don’t think I’m put on Planet Earth to have a relationship. Every relationship has ended up being a disaster. With my last boyfriend I thought I’d found The One and that also didn’t work.”
Earlier in the month, Shirley admitted she felt lonely, but doesn’t intend to walk down the aisle again. She first wed Sammy Stopford back in 1980.
The pair achieved the top ranking globally in Professional Latin dancing. Nevertheless, they parted ways in 1984, with Shirley having begun partnering with American dancer Corky Ballas. Shirley and Corky exchanged vows 12 months later, before welcoming son Mark in 1986.
However, things didn’t last and following her latest failed love venture with Danny, who was 13 years her junior, Shirley says she’d now favour dating someone nearer her own age rather than a younger “toyboy”.
Writing in her autobiography, Best Foot Forward, Shirley explains she desires her future partner to be “financially independent” and “completely unattached”.
And it comes after she admitted she had been unsuccessful in trying to join elite dating platform Raya after admitting to feeling “lonely” at times. She revealed: “The age bracket I’ve gone for is fairly broad but not too young – I think my ‘toyboy’ days are behind me.
“I think anything from 55 to 70 if they’re fit. Up to 98 if they’re loaded. Just joking.”
She continued: “I won’t marry again, I can tell you that now. Been there, done that, too many disasters to my name. Call me a cynic, but I struggle to believe that anything is forever.”
But she did admit to the downfall of being single. “I miss the closeness and the affection and the little squeezes,” she said.
She then added: “I get lonely. Mind you, I can be in the most crowded room and still feel lonely.”
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