Strictly Come Dancing’s head judge Shirley Ballas is facing a daunting personal challenge as she prepared for the new series of the hit BBC show.
At 63, the dance champion has revealed that she will need spinal surgery to address severe back pain.
Shirley Ballas on Strictly
In an exclusive conversation with OK!, Shirley opened up about the gravity of her situation.
“I’ve been to see three specialists, and I may need surgery. It’s not a choice; I will have to get it sorted. It can wait until after Strictly because I have a high tolerance for pain anyway, and it’s something I’ve been living with for many, many years, but it’s just deteriorated over the course of the last year,” she explained.
Determined to confront this issue head-on, Shirley is committed to seeking the best medical advice available.
“I’m on it like a car bonnet,” she said. “I am working and making sure I’m seeing the best people on both sides of the Atlantic — in the United States and here. My whole family’s involved in it, and I have some great people with some great advice.”
Despite her resilience, Shirley acknowledged the toll her demanding schedule has taken on her body
“It’s time to not work such long hours.” Shirley confessed, revealing her plans to scale back on her rigorous daily routine. “I stand on my feet all day, from morning till night, teaching and coaching. That’s the part I’m going to have to take a little bit of a step back from.”
Strictly Come Dancing latest
For fans of Strictly Come Dancing, however, there’s no need to worry about Shirley stepping down from her judging role.
Shirley reassured fans of her commitment to the show. She joked “you’d have to shovel me out of my chair”. Shirley insisted she’s going to remain in the judging seat “for as long as they’ll have me”.
Looking ahead to the upcoming series, Shirley expressed her enthusiasm for this year’s line-up.
The line-up includes familiar faces like Jamie Borthwick, Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Montell Douglas, Nick Knowles, and Toyah Willcox.
She is especially excited about blind comedian Chris, saying he has a “great sense of humour”.
Despite preparing for the rigorous demands of the new Strictly series, Shirley has been making the most of her summer, spending quality time with her nine-month-old grandson, Banksi, and attending a health retreat in Portugal.
She described her pre-show ritual as a physically demanding boot camp, consisting of “just four juices a day, lots of exercise, and up at 6 am,” which rejuvenates her “like a fresh daisy every year just before the launch show”.
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