Celebrate with the STARS

Our favourite celebrities share their Christmas Day traditions

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Shirley Ballas, 65 Christmas is a time of reflection, and brings both happiness and sadness for my mum [Audrey Rich, 88] and I. We lost my brother David to suicide in December 2003, and we've only celebrated Christmas again for the last six or seven years. My mother and I support each other, and David is a big part of our Christmas. We always set a space for him at the table, we talk about him, his photograph is there, we pick the napkins he liked, and every year an old angel decoration that David bought goes up on the tree. Our colours are always red and gold because David was a Liverpool fan.

My Christmas preparations start early. I shop for presents all year round, and by the middle of November, every card is written and every gift is wrapped. I even have six or seven pre-wrapped presents with a little blue or pink sticker. Should anybody turn up at the door with something [for me], I've got something ready to give back.

I don't buy myself Christmas presents because life's a gift. Doing the job I love, I feel like every day is Christmas, particularly now that I'm single [Shirley split from her ex-fiancé, actor Danny Taylor, 51, towards the end of 2024], and I have no stress on that side. It's calm; I can focus on myself.

Our decorations go up around Thanksgiving and come down around 5 January. There's no point putting them up for just a couple of weeks. I can't wait to put it all up - and we sure as hell can't wait to take them down!

With major dance championships, the Strictly tour, Strictly show and family [commitments], my diary runs a year in advance, so I decide what I'm doing on Christmas Day 12 months earlier. This year, my niece Mary - David's daughter - and her fiancé Augustine will stay for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. On 27 December, I fly to America to be with my grandson Banksi Wylde, my son Mark and daughter-in-law [American singer-songwriter BC Jean], until 5 January.