Shirley Ballas has dropped the biggest hint yet that she may be leaving Strictly Come Dancing for good, as she heads across the pond to join the team on the US version of the show. The 65-year-old has been the head judge on the Strictly panel since 2017, when she replaced Len Goodman. Now, the ballroom dancing buff is taking her skills stateside to judge on a new Dancing with the Stars spin-off show titled Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro.
No official announcement has been made that Ballas will be departing Strictly, and it remains unclear how this might impact her duties on the BBC. What we do know is that she will be judging on The Next Pro alongside her son Mark Ballas, who was until recently a professional dancer on the US show and has won it three times. He lifted the Mirrorball trophy (the US equivalent of the Glitterball) with figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, gymnast Shawn Johnson, and influencer Charli D’Amelio.
Breaking News Announcement
Mark’s mother Shirley shared the ‘breaking news’ announcement in a video on Instagram, alongside the latest Dancing With The Stars victor Robert Irwin, the son of the late Steve Irwin. Robert will host the new spin-off, which will feature a batch of dancers auditioning to become one of the professional partners on the upcoming series of the main DWTS show. Shirley will be judging all 12 of the applicants alongside her son Mark. The winner will join the 35th season of the show this autumn.
Robert said in their Instagram video: ‘It’s a new era where you are going to get to see what it takes to be a pro on Dancing With The Stars as we search for the next pro. 12 of the very best dancers from around the world. They’re going to be battling it out for the role of a lifetime. It’s going to be pretty amazing.’ Shirley added, ‘Make sure you tune in on July 13th on ABC and stream on Hulu.’
Could Shirley Do Both Shows?
With those dates, it is conceivable that Shirley plans to do both the Dancing with the Stars spin-off show and Strictly Come Dancing, but we have yet to have an official word from the BBC or Shirley’s representatives. The Instagram comments on the post were overwhelmingly excited, with some demanding Shirley join the Dancing with the Stars judging panel on the main show too.
Samantha wrote: ‘Shirley Ballas the legend, AND Robert Irwin????? I cannot wait!!!!’ But others sounded fearful, with Joe writing: ‘Are we losing Shirley to DWTS? She’s our Strictly head judge.’ Thomas echoed: ‘I see people asking you to become a permanent host in DWTS, don’t get any ideas Shirl, you’re ours!’
Metro contacted the BBC and Shirley Ballas’s representative for comment.
