Shirley Ballas, the head judge of Strictly Come Dancing, has revealed that living with her 88-year-old mother, Audrey Rich, is “the most joyous thing,” a stark contrast to her experiences with past boyfriends whom she often found herself “having to take care of”.
Speaking to The Telegraph from her south-east London home, Ballas described her mother as “self-sufficient,” highlighting her active role in their shared household.
“Living with her is the most joyous thing, she does the washing and the ironing, and still stands on a stool to clean her ornaments – though I wish she wouldn’t,” Ballas said. “She puts the meals on the table, things like vegetable casseroles, and I take care of the rest. We are a bit like husband and wife.”
The 65-year-old former professional dancer, who ended her six-year relationship with partner Danny Taylor in 2024, explained that her mother moved in permanently four years ago. “My mother, however, is self-sufficient. She doesn’t like a fuss, she doesn’t tell me what to say or tell me what to do.”
Ballas had been engaged to Taylor, who is 13 years her junior, but called it off due to what she termed “unforgivable behaviour.”
Ballas also addressed the double standards women face in dating. “What annoys me is that older men dating younger women get applauded. Al Pacino is in his 80s and has just had a baby,” she remarked. “Yet if women get a younger boyfriend it’s disdainfully looked upon. Women get judged.”
Currently single, she maintains a few “friends” but has “nothing I would want to tag as ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’,” despite still loving “the idea of being married, even after two failed marriages and failed relationships along the way.” She added, “But at this age you get set in your ways.”
As she prepares to return to the Strictly judging panel in September, Ballas expressed her excitement for the new hosts, Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe, and Josh Widdicombe, who join following Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s departure.
“I’ve worked with Emma (Willis) before on Cooking With The Stars and she is a true professional. And who doesn’t love JoJo (Johannes Radebe)? He’s a shining star,” she enthused. “And I’m looking forward to the banter Josh (Widdicombe) is going to bring, he’s a fabulous comedian, I know he’s going to give Craig Revel Horwood a run for his money with the comebacks.”
Her mother, Audrey, who has survived colon cancer and lives with COPD, still enjoys a daily ritual. “She shouldn’t smoke, but her ‘breakfast’ is still coffee and a Rothman Blue Super King,” Ballas shared. “She says, ‘just let me keep this one little thing I love at the age of 88’.”
Ballas, who has fronted a campaign encouraging adults to embrace technology, proudly noted her mother’s newfound tech savviness. “I’ve taught her not to be frightened of technology because it can be so helpful for older people if they are shown how it works. She loves using emojis.”
Technology also helps Ballas stay connected with her son, Mark, 39, a professional dancer and judge on the US show Dancing with the Stars, and her two-year-old grandson, Banksi, who live in California. “We FaceTime every day,” she said.
Looking ahead, Ballas believes her television career will eventually conclude, but retirement is not on the cards.
“I don’t think I’ll ever retire, I’m not going to sit in the garden planting tulips, that’s not who I am,” she stated. “The TV work will come to an end, that’s how it works, but it’s given me a platform to help people – charities, campaigns, COPD awareness – and that’s the part I love. Along with being a dance teacher because I love helping young people achieve their dreams, just as I have.”
