Shirley Ballas Net Worth

Shirley Ballas, renowned as “The Queen of Latin” for her illustrious competitive ballroom dancing career, has made quite a name for herself. 

She has built an impressive net worth over many decades of work, with high earnings from shows like Strictly Come Dancing and revenue still flowing in from her dance school and choreography work. 

Even in her 60s, the English dancer and teacher shows no signs of slowing down her vibrant career. In this article, we analyze Ballas’ current finances and earnings from her judging duties and other dance ventures.

Shirley Ballas’ net worth and dancing career

Ballas has built an impressive net worth between $1.5-$5 million through her illustrious career as a professional Latin ballroom dancer, teacher, and dance adjudicator. 

She has found huge success competing on the global dance circuit, winning the British Open to the World Latin Championships three times, among numerous other titles. 

Her road to riches began when she started dancing at just age 7. By age 15, she left home to partner with British Ballroom Champion Nigel Tiffany before teaming up with dancer Sammy Stopford in her late teens. 

This partnership proved fruitful, winning Professional Latin at Blackpool in 1983. Later, After marrying fellow dancer Corky Ballas, the two found immense success together on the global Latin dance competition circuit in the 1980s and 90s. 

Shirley Ballas is nicknamed ‘The Queen of Latin’ (Source: Yahoo! News)

Their joint victories dancing together at Blackpool in 1995 and 1996 were career highlights for Ballas. When she stopped competing in 1996, she transitioned into training aspiring dancers and judging major ballroom competitions. 

This has remained a steady source of income over the decades. However, her judging role on BBC’s hit show Strictly Come Dancing since 2017 has brought her the most fame and fortune. 

With an annual Strictly salary of £180,000 (approximately USD 230,000) plus revenue from her dance schools and choreography work, she earns over 20 times more now than her dancing days. 

She leads a glamorous lifestyle, decorating her London home with lavish furnishings, taking luxurious trips, and driving in fancy cars.

Now in her 60s, Ballas continues her dancing legacy not through competition but as an internationally respected judge and mentor to the next generation of dancers vying for glittering trophies and riches of their own. 

Shirley Balls is receiving backlash on her latest decision to strictly

Shirley Ballas is no stranger to backlash in her role as head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, and a recent incident has put her on the defensive. 

In last Sunday’s episode, CBBC presenter Mike Bushell narrowly survived elimination over actress Catherine Tyldesley. 

Despite Tyldesley receiving higher scores from the judges, Bushell was saved in a 3-2 decision after Ballas controversially chose to save him. Viewers erupted in anger over her “unjust” call.

This came on the heels of another contentious decision just last week, when she said she would’ve voted off front-runner Layton Williams had there been a tie in his dance-off against Angela Scanlon. 

Shirley Dallas is the head judge of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ (Source: Daily Express)

Her critical remarks about Williams’ routine were met with audible booing from the audience. She reacted strongly, shouting, “One second!” to quiet down the booing crowd. 

In contrast, fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood received similar boos for his critiques but did not chastise viewers. 

Her sharp response has led some to wonder if the audience backlash is getting under her skin. As head judge, the “Queen of Latin” is used to having the final say. 

But with viewer outrage intensifying this season over her calls, she seems increasingly impatient and on edge.

Only time will tell if she can withstand the building pressure or if the backlash will temper her blunt judging style. For now, she remains firm in defending her controversial decisions, even if it means a public showdown with the Strictly audience.

Layton Williams addressed the feud rumors himself

Despite audience boos and controversial remarks from Ballas, Williams has dismissed any feud rumors between him and the Strictly Come Dancing head judge.

He found himself in the dreaded dance-off last Sunday against Scanlon, with all judges besides Ballas voting to save him. She stated she would’ve voted for Scanlon had it been a tie, sparking speculations that she was unfairly biased against frontrunner Layton.

However, appearing on This Morning with his dance partner Nikita Kuzmin, William only had positive things to say about Ballas and their relationship. “Shirley has been on board. Her ten-paddle has been out a few times. We heart Shirley,” he affirmed. 

Shirley Ballas is a renowned figure in the world of dancing (Source: The Irish Sun)

Asked to confirm if they’re on fully good terms, Layton definitively replied, “Absolutely. We’re very good.” So while viewers may perceive tension after Ballas’ blunt critiques and rallying of audience boos, Williams insists no feud exists.

According to him, she has shown ample support this season, as evidenced by her perfect 10 scores for several of his and Nikita’s routines. 

William remains focused on competing, even as he and Kuzmin sometimes feel hurt by negative comments questioning his clothing choices or self-expression. 

But the resilient duo draw strength from each other, poised to bring their A-game to this weekend’s Movie Week Paso Doble. 

Into Shirley Ballas’ personal life

Behind her glamorous persona on Strictly Come Dancing lies a complex personal life story for Ballas.

Now 61 years old, Ballas was born and raised in Wallasey, England, alongside her brother David by her mother Audrey after their father left the family when she was just 2. 

Ballas quickly fell in love with dance at the tender age of 7. By 18, she married her first husband and fellow dancer Sammy Stopford, but the relationship dissolved after 5 years. 

In 1985, she married Corky Ballas, an American ballroom dancer, and moved with him to Houston, Texas, to further their competitive careers.

They had one son together, acclaimed Dancing with the Stars pro Mark Ballas, born in 1986 at the peak of Ballas’s dancing success. 

However, the pair ended up divorcing in 2007 after over 20 years together. Now living back in the UK, Ballas found love again with actor Daniel Taylor, who, at age 44, is 13 years her junior. 

The two met in 2018 while working together on a Christmas pantomime production. Their chemistry was instant, and after almost 4 blissful years together, wedding bells now appear to be on the horizon. Reports emerged of the happy couple ring shopping this past December, with Taylor ready to propose imminently.  

So while Ballas occupies the spotlight on her own as Strictly‘s decisive and sometimes controversial head judge, she enjoys a contented personal life off-screen alongside loving boyfriend Taylor and still-close family like her mother, Audrey, who resides with the couple. 

After two failed marriages and decades of dedicating herself to competitive dancing, Ballas seems to have found both professional and personal fulfillment in this new stage of her life.