Shirley Ballas calls off wedding with fiancé Danny Taylor after failed marriages

Shirley Ballas has called off her wedding with her younger fiancé, Danny Taylor. 

The 63-year-old head judge of Strictly got engaged to the 50-year-old in 2021, following their initial meeting in 2018. 

Shirley had previously expressed her eagerness to marry him, stating she 'would have married him tomorrow if he asked me' before their engagement. However, two years after the proposal, she now declares that she will not marry again.

Speaking on Alan Carr's Life's A Beach podcast, released on Monday, Shirley said: 'Two marriages, an engagement, two long-term relationships later and I will not be getting married again. I’ve made the decision'.

Shirley had been married previously to former ballroom star Sammy Stopford from 1980 to 1984. Following that, she tied the knot with dancer Corky Ballas in 1985, and the couple separated in 2007 after 22 years together.

She said: 'My mum says they’re like buses - you get on one and you get off the other. It’s fine.

'I just have to get used to that again. I was engaged at 16, married at 19. Remarried at 23 and then two-long term relationships.'

Shirley and Danny, who have a 13-year age difference, first met during pantomime rehearsals for Jack And The Beanstalk in 2018 and have been inseparable ever since.