Strictly Come Dancing's head judge Shirley Ballas, hailing from Merseyside, has been steering the judging panel on BBC One's dazzling show since 2017.

The seasoned dancer has also featured on the American counterpart, Dancing with the Stars, and took part in ITV's The Masked Singer UK, where she was the fifth series' Rat, only to be unmasked and sent packing in the third episode.

Away from the cameras, Shirley was a professional dancer dominating the international Latin scene, scooping up numerous titles. Her personal life has been as colourful as her professional journey.

In November last year, it emerged that the 64 year old dance doyenne had split from beau Danny Taylor after a six-year romance. Having been married twice before, she's openly discussed the emotional challenges she's encountered in previous relationships.

Her first marriage was to fellow dancer Sammy Stopford when she was just 18, reports Edinburgh Live.

They exchanged vows in 1980 and soared to fame in the dancing world, securing illustrious accolades such as Professional Latin at Blackpool in 1983, according to Wales Online.

Despite their success on the dance floor, Shirley Ballas and Sammy Stopford dissolved their marriage after four years, but have remained amicable.

In 2017, reflecting on their history, Ballas remarked: "Lunch with my first husband, Sammy Stopford. Still love him to bits."

Shirley later married Corky Ballas, whom she met at a dance competition in Canada. They tied the knot in 1985 and welcomed their son, Mark, shortly thereafter.

Their marriage came to an end in 2007, with Shirley claiming Corky's infidelity in her frank 2020 autobiography Behind the Sequins, stating: "He had multiple girlfriends even when I moved to America for him. I gave up my life for that man."

Corky also levelled accusations of infidelity against Shirley, alleging she had been unfaithful with "at least ten different men" during their marriage, although Shirley has never publicly responded to these claims.

After some time apart, Shirley surprised her followers by re-establishing a cordial relationship with her former spouse Corky Ballas. Celebrating their renewed partnership, she shared a happy selfie on Instagram, teasing future collaborations with the caption: "Meeting up with Corky Ballas, father to our wonderful son and Grandad to Banksi. Back working together, simply awesome."

Shirley has been candid about a physical altercation with a woman who brazenly claimed to have had an affair with her then-husband. In her autobiography, she wrote: "The woman in question sidled up to me, clearly the worse for a drink or two, and said: 'You and I need to talk'."

In her book Behind The Sequins she recalled a fiery argument in her book, when she was approached by a woman who claimed she was having sex with her husband Corky.

She recounted the dramatic encounter, saying: "I tried to duck it, saying I had nothing to say to her, but she refused to leave. Then, as if in slow motion, I turned to face her just as she blurted out, 'You need to get used to the fact I f****d your husband'."

Shirley added: "The white angel told me, 'keep walking', while the red angel said, 'sock her in the gob'. So that's what I did. I punched her and she rolled away. I'm not proud. All I could hear around me were people whispering, 'Is that Shirley Ballas?'"

Shirley and Danny Taylor, despite a 13-year age gap, went public with their romance in 2019 after hitting it off during the panto season. Shirley didn't hold back on her feelings, confessing early on: "I would marry him tomorrow, if he asked me. If this is what love is, I have never experienced it before."

Their secret engagement came to light in 2021, yet they never managed to tie the knot, and by November 2024, news broke that they had called it quits.

Reflecting on her personal life on Jamie Laing's podcast, Great Company with Jamie Laing, Shirley shared: "Currently, I've just split with my boyfriend. My relationships have been a disaster all the way along the line.

"But what I am truly grateful for is that I still have my mother and that she lives with me, and I get these precious moments with her. Because my mother is the only thing that's been a staple in my life. No friend, no marriage, no nothing."

Strictly Come Dancing is due to return to BBC One this coming autumn.