Shirley Ballas has reportedly called it quits with her fiancé Danny Taylor after struggling to make their relationship work.
The pair met in 2019 while working on the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk and got engaged in 2021. Earlier this year, the dancer and Strictly head judge, 64, revealed that she had called off their engagement.
It’s been reported that Shirley has been busy focusing on her travels and work, while Danny, 51, is also concentrating on his theatre career.
Unfortunately, the distance between them – Shirley working in London and Danny living in Liverpool while travelling around the country – seems to have led to their breakup.
A source told The Sun: “As with any break-up, it is, of course, a very sad situation.
“She gave her all to that relationship and in the end came to the realisation that it wasn’t going anywhere. She made a lot of effort to see Danny and support his theatre and panto work, travelling up and down the country.
“Distance also played its part – Shirley lives in London with her mother, and Danny remains based in Liverpool; that commute is a killer.
“But Shirley is a strong, resilient character and is looking better than ever. She will 100 percent bounce back – 2025 promises to be an absolute corker for her.”
Shirley previously called off engagement plans with Danny, although the Latin dancer insisted that it had nothing to do with their relationship.
Speaking to MailOnline, Shirley explained: “I’ve changed my mind. I just feel that at this particular point in my life, my mother and I have got this great relationship and we want to do some travelling and there are different things we want to do.
“The relationship is going good – I’m busy, he’s busy and we talk to each other every day – several times a day, and my mum talks to him as well.”
Ballas previously opened up about her first meeting with her younger beau, describing it as “love at first sight”.
She gushed over Danny saying: “We met on panto as friends. It didn’t really take off until March… for him. I fell in love way before… I think for me it was [at] first sight. He was going through a difficult time in his relationship.”
The Express has reached out to Shirley Ballas’ representatives for comment.