Shirley Ballas feels "quite emotional" over her career success.
The October 2023 issue of Good Housekeeping is now on sale
The 62-year-old dancer has served as head judge on BBC Latin and ballroom competition 'Strictly Come Dancing' since 2017 and reminded fans of a certain age that whilst they may not have the "physique" they once had, they do not have to stop doing anything because she is the "happiest" she has ever been in her life.
She told Good Housekeeping magazine: "It actually makes me quite emotional. I never imagined in a million years that, at 62, I’d be doing all these things. But what I’d say to anyone in their 50s, 60s and beyond is that we might not have the physique we once had – you might take your knickers off and your bum falls down to your heels, or your boobs fall down to your belly button – but that doesn’t mean we have to stop doing things, does it? In many ways, I feel like these are the happiest years of my life."
Shirley also recalled that she came from humble beginnings and that whilst she may have a "strong front" on screen, she is actually a "very sensitive" soul underneath.
She said: "I grew up on a housing estate in Wallasey in Merseyside, where life wasn’t always easy, and the soft, vulnerable side of me, which probably only my partner, Danny, has seen, often gets hidden away. I have a strong front, but underneath it all, I’m very sensitive."
Meanwhile, the dance champion is mother to 37-year-old Mark with former partner Corky and admitted that she is "so excited" that she will soon be a grandmother for the first time.
She said: "I can’t tell you how excited I am. [My son] Mark told us the news in such a thoughtful way. I was in Las Vegas with his dad, Corky, because Mark was performing out there, and after the show his dog came in wearing a little bandana. It took us a while before we finally clocked that on the front of the bandana it said, ‘Baby on board’!".
Read the full interview with Shirley Ballas in the October 2023 issue of Good Housekeeping. It is available in all supermarkets and online at MagsDirect.
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