Shirley Ballas

Shirley Ballas is an English ballroom champion, television personality and keynote speaker, best known as Head Judge on Strictly Come Dancing and widely recognised as the ‘Queen of Latin’. A 3-time British Open to the World Latin American Champion and 10-time US Latin American Champion, Shirley built one of the most successful competitive careers in International Latin dance before becoming a respected media figure and leadership speaker.

Born in Wallasey in 1960, Shirley discovered dance at the age of seven and quickly committed herself to rigorous training and competition. Raised by her mother after her father left when she was two, she developed resilience early in life. At fifteen she moved away from home to partner with British Ballroom Champion Nigel Tiffany, an experience she has described as challenging but formative. Two years later she relocated to London to dance with Sammy Stopford, training under the guidance of Nina Hunt. By the age of twenty one, Shirley had won nearly every major title she entered worldwide, a remarkable feat that reflected not only talent but discipline and self-belief.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Shirley dominated the competitive circuit. She remains the only dancer to have won the British Open to the World Latin American Championships at Blackpool with two different partners and reached the finals seventeen times, an extraordinary record. She is also the youngest ever female finalist in that competition’s history. With Corky Ballas, she secured Professional Latin titles at the Blackpool Dance Festival in 1995 and 1996, cementing her global standing. After retiring from competition in 1996, Shirley became one of the world’s leading ballroom and Latin coaches and adjudicators. In 2017 she was appointed Head Judge on Strictly Come Dancing, succeeding Len Goodman, a high profile role that introduced her expertise to millions of viewers each week. Her honours include three Carl Alan Awards, the Teacher of the Year Award, the Variety Club Legends of Industry Award, and induction into both the United States and Great Britain Dance Hall of Fame.

As a speaker, Shirley draws on decades at the very top of competitive sport and live television. She speaks with authority on leadership under pressure, resilience, emotional intelligence and sustaining excellence over time. Shirley shares honest insights into performing on the world’s biggest stages, judging live broadcasts watched by millions, and navigating personal adversity, including her work with mental health charity CALM following her brother’s death. Organisations book Shirley for her credibility, warmth and proven experience at the highest level of performance.