Strictly Come Dancing star Shirley Ballas made a heartwrenching confession about her son.
The BBC head judge is known for being tough on the panel, but behind the scenes, she appears to be a real softy at heart.
Shirley, 62, has one son, Mark Ballas, 36, who happens to be a dancer in the USA on Dancing With The Stars.
Because he lives across the pond, Shirley sadly doesn’t get to see him as much as she would have liked.
With Christmas in full swing, Shirley recently confessed that she only had one wish for this year.
Strictly star Shirley Ballas on Christmas plans
She made a heartbreaking confession about her son ahead of the festive season.
Strictly Come Dancing star Shirley told the BBC: “I just want to have it with my family really, the biggest present for me would be my son actually arriving at my front door.
“That’s all the gift I’d need.”
Thankfully for Shirley, her prayers were answered.
During a recent appearance on This Morning, Shirley shared that Mark will be spending Christmas with her for the first time in four years.
“He took a six-year break, came back, and won Dancing with the Stars this year,” she gushed.
“He’s coming over for Christmas, the first time in four years to see his family. I am the most excited, can you tell?”
This Morning’s Alison Hammond went on to question whether Mark would ever appear on the UK version of Strictly.
“I’m very very strict on him,” insisted Shirley. “But his body of work in this series was incredible.”
Meanwhile, Strictly came to an end last weekend and saw Hamza Yassin crowned the Strictly 2022 winner and take home the prestigious Glitterball trophy.
Shirley on taking a break
Following the latest series, Shirley has decided to take a break for a few weeks to recuperate.
The head judge, who joined the show in 2017, also revealed how she decided not to star in a pantomime this year.
She told S magazine: “It’s the first time I’ve taken any time off – ever! I’m taking two and a half weeks off, because of the immense amount of trolling I got throughout this series.
“I decided I wouldn’t do panto this year. The last time I did it, I got a letter hand-delivered to the theatre that was very off-putting.
“I actually kept it. I don’t know why. So I’m going to take some time off and just get myself together for the new year.”
Shirley has faced a lot of scrutiny and backlash during this year’s series.
In fact, things got so tough for the star that she revealed she had reached out for medical help following relentless online trolling.
Read more: Shirley Ballas reveals real reason she won’t marry toyboy boyfriend Danny
The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special will air at 5.10pm on Christmas Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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