Shirley Ballas joined the judging panel of 'Strictly Come Dancing' Series15 in 2017. Shirley is a former British Open To The World champion, European, German, United Kingdom, United States and International Latin American champion. She retired from competitive dancing in 1996. Shirley is now an acclaimed and respected international coach to many of the top professional and amateur dancers as well as a highly renowned sought-after adjudicator for ballroom and Latin American competitions judging all around the world.

Shirley is mother to Mark Ballas, the musician, Broadway star, professional dancer and two-time winner on 'Dancing With The Stars' in the US.