Shirley Ballas has spoken very candidly about the difficulties of being a working mother while raising her son Mark in an interview on HELLO!'s Changemakers podcast. The 62-year-old former dancing pro, who is the head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, opened up about her regrets while raising Mark, but also reflected on why her tough decisions were necessary.
After speaking about trying to spend as much time as possible with her grandson, one-year-old Banksi Wylde, she explained: "I was under a lot of pressure with my own son, trying to go back to the top with his dad and win after winning in '83 and getting a new partner and going back to the beginning. So we were striving with my second partner to get back to the top, and I didn’t always enjoy it.
"I wasn't there when Mark had chickenpox, my brother shaved all of his curls off because I was in Japan, and he wanted him to be a bit tougher on the housing estate. I wasn't there for measles, first days of school, I was away for five Christmases. I look back at that and think, 'Should I have stayed away?' But then I think, 'Okay, I was able to give a good living to take Mark to the places he wanted to go to in his life.'"
© TwitterMark, who is also a professional dancer and starred on the US version of Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing with the Stars, until 2022, welcomed his baby son with his partner BC Jean back in November 2022, marking the occasion with an Instagram post that read: "Welcome to Earth my son."
Speaking about her grandson, Shirley continued: "This is my second chance to show that I am a good mum; I could have been great. I think I was an okay mum. I think my mother was an outstanding mother.
© Adam Taylor"Fortunately, my son always had my mother from 18 months old. My mother moved in, and he never had another babysitter. He had a mum who was working hard, who did the best she could, and a nanny 24/7 who took him everywhere."
Mark has previously spoken out with praise for his mum, particularly when she landed the role of head judge on Strictly. Posting on Facebook at the time, he wrote: "I am beyond proud of my mother for being chosen as the new head judge on BBC Strictly Come Dancing.
© Dave J Hogan"I couldn’t think of a better person for the job. I am excited to see someone judge who will give correct, constructive technical criticism but also appreciate the creative side.
"Mum, your experience and accomplishments speak for themselves, and this is just another chapter to your legacy. I’ve never met someone with more passion for this art form; you’ve dedicated your whole life to this sport, and you really deserve this. They are incredibly lucky to have you. I love you and am beyond proud. Now go show them who's boss. I'm ecstatic for you. Congratulations."
To watch more of Shirley's vlogcast, in which she also talks about becoming a grandmother and how her son helped her come out of her dark place, play the video above.
