Hailing from Merseyside, Strictly favourite Shirley Ballas, 62, began dancing at the age of seven after attending a lesson at a local hall. By the time she was 21 she had won nearly every major title she competed in and still remains the only person to have ever won the British Open to the World Latin American Championships in Blackpool with two different partners.
Shirley also holds the title of the youngest ever female to reach the British Open to the World Dance Championship finals and is a European, German, UK, USA and International Latin American Champion, becoming known as the ‘Queen of Latin’ for her acclaimed rumba.
Shirley retired from competitive dancing in 1996 and has since become a much sought-after dance coach as well as a leading Ballroom and Latin competition judge, author and TV personality. She joined the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, taking over from Len Goodman as head judge and leads the current panel of Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel-Horwood and Anton Du Beke.
Her judging approach is “All about the four F's; fun, firm, feisty and fair. I may look and come across as quite strict, but I want the celebrities to know that when they are stood in front of me my heart will be pumping a thousand miles an hour for them in that moment and I'll want to give them comments to inspire them."
Sharing her behind the scenes beauty secrets, Shirley tells HELLO!: “When I was competing in ballroom in the ’80s one of the things I regret most was having those big bouffant hair dos. You used to pull it up and backcomb it with the tail comb, all the way until it held, and then when you used to take it out all your hair was in the brush. We also had those tight slicked-back buns with lots of gel. I won two Blackpools with my hair in a short black bob with a fringe!"
"One of the worst things we did when competing was to get Bostick superglue and stick rhinestones down the centre of the head, directly onto our hair. Earrings were glued onto our ears, I can still feel them now! If you didn’t have a tube of Bostick you weren’t in the running for the title! After the competition you’d just pull it all out, and your hair would be stuck up like a hedgehog! I’m surprised I’ve got any hair left, it’s really been through the mill.”
Telling HELLO! how motherhood affected her hair, Shirley confides: “When I had my son my hair got so thin and fell out, while he came out with the thickest head of hair – a mass of curls like a girl – and he still has them now! He has to shave it all at the back, but I’ve got hair that needs products to thicken and boost.”
Shirley has also bravely spoken out about her experience with menopause. She was 47 when she started to notice symptoms. "From night sweats to day sweats, to dry skin, nails and hair, I felt moody and completely off.
“I went from feeling strong and self-assured to such a dark place. Before that I’d never even thought about the menopause – it was such a taboo subject. I just thought my symptoms could be the flu. Nobody talked about it, I felt totally ill-prepared."
Shirley describes her dry skin as being "like dandruff from your hair but on your body. My nails used to split so I put false nails on, my hair was coming out in clumps. The hormones change, the hair starts to thin and you can see it all coming out in your hairbrush.
“There were night sweats, irritability and a lack of libido – you name it! The whole body from top to bottom just didn't function the way I was used to it functioning. I felt anxious, I didn't want to be in company. I had heart palpitations. I tended not to go out unless I absolutely had to – I didn't even want to go to work.
“My son Mark (now 37) could see something was wrong. He just couldn't understand how I could go from this bright, upbeat mother who was running around all the time to not being able to get out of bed, in my pyjamas all day, miserable.
"I was so embarrassed to talk to him about it, but he was the first person to really listen to me. He took me to a hormone doctor and they started me on bio-identical hormones. I just told them, 'I want to get out of this dark place, whatever it takes.'
“My advice to women would be the minute your body starts to change from what is normal for you – whether it's at 35 or much later– go and talk to someone and find out exactly what's going on.”
With the twenty-first series of Strictly Come Dancing airing just weeks away this autumn, Shirley shares her pre-show routine: “In the runup to Strictly I usually get up at 6:30am 5 days a week and start with a workout so I can feel my best. I keep a mat and weights in my dressing room so I can exercise around fittings and rehearsals.
“The first thing I do when I come home after the show is take out my hair extensions – you’d be surprised at how many there are! I also take half an hour on my own in the bathroom to remove my makeup and apply a sheet mask, and repair my skin after wearing heavy makeup for TV. I enjoy the occasional salon facial too.”
Sharing her current haircare regime, Shirley says: “I wash my hair every morning, and once I’ve shampooed and conditioned I have a freezing cold shower to smooth the cuticle and lock in moisture. When you get out of the shower you feel so rejuvenated, so that’s my top tip! I also sleep on a lovely soft silk pillowcase so my hair doesn’t pull against it and there’s less friction.
“I like to blowdry my hair straight as it’s got a natural wave, and I think it can look a bit scruffy otherwise. I like it with product in to thicken it up then styled into a straight, sleek bob.
“I’ve had every kind of shampoo in my bathroom but I got John Frieda PROfiller+ products a few weeks ago, and I have to say they’ve done wonders for my hair. There’s less breakage, and I find it’s much more plump, so it’s more full.
“I love the conditioner because it doesn’t make it feel thick and greasy. It’s easy to brush, easy to blowdry. I’m a fan! The smell is divine – I’ve got a thing about smell. The scent of this range is really lovely and the texture is lovely too.”
A new innovation from the haircare professionals, John Frieda’s PROfiller+ range comprises of three products to bolster fine and fragile strands against breakage and help them appear stronger. PROfiller+ is suitable whether you’ve noticed thinning or breakage caused by stress, having a child or the menopause, or are just looking for a way to instantly plump and volumize naturally fine hair.
Delivering results after one use, the thickening shampoo, conditioner and spray are infused with biotin, known to provide hair with strength, and hyaluronic acid to thoroughly hydrate and nourish.
Shirley shares: “For me it was a combination of using the Shampoo, the Conditioner and the Thickening Spray. I apply it all over the roots and through the hair and comb it through."
“My hair crush of all time is Farrah Fawcett from Charlie’s Angels – she had that voluminous, sexy hair, all flicked back. I used to look at her on the TV and think ‘why not me?!’ but now my hair is much fuller.
“It’s much shinier too, which I don’t mind, but the fullness – and the fact that it held – wonderful! The Thickening Spray goes everywhere with me now, it’s been in my handbag for the past two weeks.
“Every woman in her 60s wants to feel confident, and I have to say at age 62, I now feel by far the best I’ve ever felt.”
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