Shirley Ballas has revealed she’s no longer looking for love after splitting from Danny Taylor
Shirley Ballas won’t be looking for love any time soon. The Strictly Come Dancing head judge has been single since splitting from her ex-partner, Danny Taylor, in 2024.
The pair had been together for six years but eventually parted ways, with Shirley, 65, saying she was “constantly worrying” throughout the relationship. But for Wirral-born Shirley, who’s been married twice and engaged four times, a relationship isn’t on the horizon for her.
In a new interview, Shirley claimed that her ex-partner, Danny, would “disappear,” which left her concerned. She explained that it would bring back memories of when her brother, David, sadly took his own life aged 44 in 2003.
Shirley and Danny split in 2024 after six years(Image: WireImage)
The TV star has vowed to stay single for the foreseeable future(Image: Rowan Griffiths / Daily Mirror)
“He was disappearing all the time,” Shirley said. She went on to add: “It just got to a point where it was so upsetting every time it happened that I just decided to call it a day. It’s better to be on my own than constantly worrying, stressful, about somebody else.”
Speaking to The Times, the dancer commented: “He’s done some things that are really under the table and quite unforgivable. But I’m ok at the moment. No dates. I don’t want to call anyone a boyfriend or a this or a that.”
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Shirley previously recalled the moment when she noticed something was wrong, having previously told the Mirror she was with her mum, Audrey, when her phone lit up, a relative of Danny’s had gotten in touch to say he had disappeared.
“All those memories came flooding back…it triggered all these emotions,” she told us. Her number was passed to the police, who were also concerned about the circumstances, and she spent the next few hours frantically trying to track Danny down, calling around all his friends and family.
At 2am, she noticed that Danny had read her WhatsApp messages. But relief turned to anger as Danny reappeared the next day and carried on as if nothing had happened. Almost immediately, she realised that she couldn’t have someone in her life who could cause her such agony again.
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“I will never forget that day until the day I die. I remember looking across in the middle of the night, and I saw my mother was just so upset, reliving all of her trauma,” she said. “I just thought ‘this can’t go on’. Not just for my sake, but my mum too,” Shirley added.
However, Shirley said earlier this year that she had been on the dating scene since her split from Danny, explaining she’d been on “a date or two,” but she wasn’t looking for anything serious.
She told the Daily Mail: “I know my truth. I know my authentic self, and if I want to go out on a date I will go. Nothing serious. No labels, no tags. I’ve met several nice people over the years. If somebody asks me out and I like them, I go. If I don’t, I don’t bother.
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“I am very careful, though, when I do go out with someone. I will have known them for a while.” If she were to embark on another relationship, Shirley wants someone who is both generous and smart.
