SHIRLEY Ballas has become a firm favourite on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing since taking over as head judge from Len Goodman.
The glamourous dancer specialises in the International Latin division, where she won several championship titles which earned her the nickname The Queen of Latin.
How old is Shirley Ballas?
What is Shirley Ballas’s net worth?
Shirley’s estimated net worth is around £3.8millon.
Shirley joined Strictly in 2017 and was paid £180,000 by the BBC for that series.
This was £70,000 short of the amount given to her predecessor Len Goodman, 75, for the same role.
But in 2018 she landed a victory when she received a pay rise to equal Len’s former £250k salary.
Fellow judge Bruno Tonioli reportedly earns the same amount, while Craig Revel Horwood and former judge Darcey Bussell received £180,000 for each series of Strictly.
Is Shirley Ballas married?
Shirley, 59, married Corky Ballas back in 1985.
But they split when he left her for former Strictly pro Kristina Rihanoff after he became the dancer’s teacher in 2003.
Shirley divorced Corky in 2007 but his relationship with Kristina reportedly fizzled out the following year.
What is Shirley Ballas’ rise to fame?
After her time with Nigel Tiffany, Ballas moved on to become Sammy Stopford’s partner. The pair fell in love and got married and went on to become one of the fastest rising couples in ballroom dance.
They danced together from when she was 18 to 23 and won all the major titles worldwide.
The pair then parted ways and she met Corky Ballas, who she married and had son Mark with in 1986.
Corky and Shirley competed together and won their first professional Latin title in 1984 and went on to win it a further eight years in a row.
In 1990, they moved back to the UK and went on to win the Open British Professional Latin title in 1995 and ’96.
Shirley was previously a judge on the American version of Dancing With The Stars.