Shirley Ballas, 64, admits it's been a 'tough' as she breaks silence after 'split' from fiancé Danny Taylor, 51
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Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has spoken out for the first time since she reportedly split from her fiancé Danny Taylor after six years together.
The 64-year-old dancer and her 51-year-old partner are said to have ended their relationship just months after calling off their engagement.
According to sources, the split is due to the challenges of maintaining a long-distance relationship, with Shirley based in London and Danny in Liverpool.
The couple, who met in 2018 while starring in a pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk, have reportedly remained friends despite the break-up.
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."
The insider added: "She made a lot of effort to see Danny and support his theatre and panto work, travelling up and down the country."
Shirley Ballas and Danny Taylor have reportedly split
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In the hours after reports of the split, Ballas took to Instagram to pay tribute to a friends for supporting her on what she described as a "tough day".
Sharing a screengrab of a FaceTime call with her pal, Ballas wrote: "When you had a tough day and you see this smile @grundyalan you can hopefully sleep. My friend for many many years." (sic)
Despite the split, the aforementioned source emphasised Ballas's resilience: "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."
The couple reportedly still follow each other on social media, suggesting an amicable parting.
Shirley Ballas shared a snap with a pal after splitting from Danny Taylor
Ballas and Taylor's romance began in 2018 when they met during a pantomime production. Ballas had previously described their first encounter as "love at first sight".
Speaking on Loose Women, she revealed: "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 first sight."
The Strictly judge had often spoken fondly of Taylor in interviews. In a conversation with HELLO!, Ballas called Danny "the one", saying: "I just love that man I just want to sit there all day and stare at him. He is 'The One'."
Their relationship progressed quickly, with Ballas expressing her desire to marry Danny. She had joked about potentially becoming 'Shirley Ballas-Taylor' and following in Elizabeth Taylor's footsteps by 'collecting' spouses.
Shirley's views on marriage have evolved over time. In January, she revealed on Alan Carr's Life's a Beach podcast that she had "changed her mind" about marriage after experiencing two divorces.
She stated firmly: "Two marriages, an engagement, two long-term relationships later and I will not be getting married again. I've made the decision."
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More recently, Ballas explained her shift in priorities to MailOnline: "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."
Despite calling off the engagement, Ballas had maintained that their relationship was strong, saying: "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 will return to screens soon for Saturday's Strictly live show.
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