Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has reportedly split from her fiancé Danny Taylor after six years together.
The couple, who originally got engaged in 2021, have ended their relationship, six months after Shirley, 64, revealed she and Danny, 51, had called off their wedding.
A source told The Sun that distance played a part in the end of Shirley’s relationship, describing it as ‘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,’ the source said.
‘Distance also played its part – Shirley lives in London with her mother and Danny remains based in Liverpool; that commute is a killer.
Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has split from her fiancé Danny Taylor after six years together
‘But Shirley is a strong, resilient character and is looking better than ever. She will 100% bounce back – 2025 promises to be an absolute corker for her.’
It’s though that the couple have remained friends, and they still follow each other on social media.
MailOnline has contacted a representative for Shirley Ballas for comment.
In January, Shirley said she ‘would have married Danny tomorrow if he asked me’ before she got engaged, but two years on from the proposal she has declared she will never 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 was previously married to former ballroom star Sammy Stopford from 1980 to 1984 before tying the knot with dancer Corky Ballas in 1985 with the couple splitting up 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.’
The couple, who originally got engaged in 2021, have ended their relationship, six months after Shirley revealed she and Danny had called off their wedding
Shirley and Danny – who have a 13 year age difference – met at pantomime rehearsals for Jack And The Beanstalk in 2018.
Danny, who is a trained ballroom dancer, has also appeared in soaps including Brookside and The Bill.
Detailing how their romance began, Shirley previously said: ‘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.’
Shirley said to MailOnline last year about the idea of marriage: ‘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 is 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’.
Last year, Shirley said that she and Danny are both very busy and despite having not seen him since August when she took part in her week-long Skyathlon challenge to raise money for charity, she’s happy.
Shirley said: ‘We have a unique, unconventional relationship. It’s built on trust. I don’t want anybody else and, as far as I know, he doesn’t want anybody else and we talk most days on FaceTime. It is what it is, and I’m happy with the way it is.’
Shirley and Danny – who have a 13 year age difference – met at pantomime rehearsals for Jack And The Beanstalk in 2018
The Strictly head judge has been married twice, first to Sammy Stopford from 1980 to 1984, and then to Corky Ballas (pictured) from 1985 to 2007
During an interview on Lorraine last month, Shirley said still has scars’ from her past marriages.
Shirley previously claimed she felt ‘so alone and isolated’ in her relationship with Sammy while ex-husband, Corky, ‘fat-shamed’ her while she was pregnant.
She said: ‘It is getting better as I am getting older but some of the scars from when I was married and from throughout my life will stay with me for a very long time.
‘Each woman should know that we all come in different shapes and sizes and we are all beautiful in our own right.’
Shirley added: ‘I try to look at myself in the mirror now whenever I walk past and when I get out of the shower. For years I couldn’t do that.’
‘Back in the day when I started dancing at 16-years-old image was such a big thing. The world is changing now but we don’t need people to criticise us when we do that enough ourselves.’