Shirley Ballas refused to give up ex-husband's surname in defiant battle after split

Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas has candidly shared why she decided to retain her ex-husband Corky Ballas's surname post-divorce. The 64-year-old TV legend was married to fellow dancer Corky from 1985 until they split in 2007. In an intimate heart-to-heart on Anna Richardson's podcast 'It Can't Just Be Me?', Shirley unpacked the complexities of her 22-year marriage's collapse. Delving into the details following a question posted by a listener, Shirley imparted some of the harder learned lessons from her past.

During the discussion, she said, "I kept Ballas because my son was born out of love. And then it became Mark Ballas, Shirley Ballas, and Corky Ballas. It wasn't until later, when the relationship fell apart, that Corky would be at a competition, and he would refuse to announce me with my surname."

She recounted the painful experiences following their separation, explaining, "So, he would say 'From the United Kingdom...Shirley'. But my name is Shirley Ballas, and that's what we did when we got married. I took his name—the same name as my son. We'd been married for 22 years—my little boy was Mark Ballas. I didn't want to go under Shirley Ritch, my maiden name. I wanted to have the same name as my son."

Aside from her famous partnership with Corky, Ballas also married dancer Sammy Stopford when she was just a teenager. However, her enduring bond with her son influenced her decision to maintain the Ballas surname.

Shirley has previously spoken about her decision to move to the US with Corky, only to later realise she had "made a mistake". Recalling the experience, she said: "I ran off with Corky Ballas to America. I was there for three months, decided I had made a mistake, called Sammy [Stopford] and said, 'Can I come back?' and he said 'No'."

She then went on to reveal how she taught Corky to dance "from scratch" before the pair won a dance competition together. Shirley explained: "And then I decided I was going to do everything I could to get back into that top six, whatever it took."

She continued: "In the mean time, I had a baby, moved back to Great Britain in 1990 and in 1995, Corky and I won the British Open to the World Championships and my ex-husband was second, oh yes. We went on to win it again."

Shirley was romantically involved with actor Danny Taylor, but the pair called it quits in December 2024. The duo's paths crossed during a festive pantomime run of 2018, when both were part of the seasonal spectacular Jack and the Beanstalk, hosted at the illustrious Liverpool Empire.

The Strictly Come Dancing judge currently resides with her mother Audrey, who received a colon cancer diagnosis in 2018.