The day HELLO! met Shirley Ballas, she'd spent the morning in an ice bath.
Six minutes at sub-zero temperatures sets the 63-year-old up for the day, she says. "It makes me feel revitalised, helps me think clearly and really kicks off my day."
Strictly's head judge takes to her ice bath every morning, even if just for two minutes – and that's just the start of the ways the dancer looks after her body, which she calls a "temple."
On top of her ice baths, Shirley books in for regular hot yoga sessions, as well as frequently spinning on her Peloton bike and walks in nature - when her packed schedule allows.
Shirley Ballas is Hello!’s latest Digital Cover star, in partnership with John Frieda
"Your body is your temple," she notes. "If you're not feeding it right, don't expect it to do good things."
Shirley is taking extra care of herself right now, to coincide with the start of this year's season of Strictly Come Dancing. "We're about to go back on the show, so I've really cut back. No sugar, no sweets, no treats, no bread. Just really good, solid food.
"I very much watch what I eat. If it's green and grown in the ground, I'll eat it."
Of her dedication to her health, Shirley says: "Healthy eating is absolutely imperative to making you feel the best version of yourself."
One person who shares Shirley's dedication to health is her son, Mark Ballas. Also a dancer, Mark lives in L.A. with his wife and baby son, Banski Wylde, and Shirley visits her son as much as possible, loving the California lifestyle.
"My son's a health freak, so everything's juiced," Shirley says. "They eat religiously healthy food."
Mother-son bond
Shirley and Mark are extremely close, with Shirley visiting him in L.A. twice in August.
"It's very difficult for me to leave him and I miss him every day," she admits.
With such a close relationship, it's understandable that when he moved out at 19, Shirley says she felt "suffering at the highest level".
"I was 41 and just starting perimenopause when he left, and every emotion felt larger than life," she explains. "I still struggle to this day with being apart from him, and if I could go back to when he was young, I'd want to do less work and have more time with him."
Visibly emotional recalling the pain of empty nest syndrome, Shirley shared: "It's the worst feeling in the world, and you never get used to it. It's miserable upon miserable and even more miserable."
READ: How to beat empty nest syndrome if your kids are moving out
Shirley adds that it's not all doom and gloom, though. She and Mark talk every day via FaceTime and she says when he hugs her, "he never wants to let go."
Shirley's menopause experience
It's now over 20 years since Shirley was first plunged into perimenopause, and despite having a rough ride during the transition, the dancer shares many positives that have come from it.
"I don't care what people think about me anymore," she says. "I like to do my own thing now, I won't be told what to do and I'm no longer people-pleasing.
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"Life is so short and it moves so fast, you have to do what you want to do and what makes you comfortable.
"I've learned the value of me-time, and while I still struggle to carve out time for myself with my work schedule, I implore other women not to put anything off. If you think you want to do something, do it!"
Shirley's menopause advice
Now ten years post-menopause, Shirley has stellar advice for other women when it comes to self-care.
"Find products that work for you and stick with them," she insisted. "I use John Frieda's PROFiller+ range on my hair every single day, and it softens my hair, which became dry and brittle post-menopause.
"It gives my hair such a bounce and I just love it."
PROfiller+ is an innovative range formulated to give fine, thin hair an instant plumping boost to look and feel thicker, and better protected against breakage. The range is suitable for colour-treated hair and is silicone free with a vegan-friendly formula, delivering results after just one use. Launched last year, the range was so popular that it sold out several times over.
Infused with biotin, an ingredient which is known to provide hair with strength, and hyaluronic acid to help hydrate and nourish, the range has been proven to thicken hair overall by 200% when the shampoo, conditioner and thickening spray are used together, like in Shirley’s routine.
As for health advice, Shirley insists that women should regularly have their hormone levels checked. "I'm constantly monitoring my levels," she says. "If I find myself feeling low, I check my hormones and normally find I need to adjust my medication."
With the countdown on for the next season of Strictly, we can't wait to see Shirley lighting up our screens again, powered by her healthy eating and impressive wellness routine.
Find the John Frieda PROfiller+ Thickening collection of Shampoo, Conditioner, Spray and Super Fluid at Boots.
LISTEN: Shirley Ballas reveals all about forthcoming major life change amid debilitating back pain
Styling credits: looks courtesy of The Charites, Moushe, Taller Marmo, Retro Chic, Maison Lumber, Mach & Mach, Laura Pitharas, Rusell & Bromley, Zeynep Kartal, Terry de Havilland and Rixo.
