'I don't think I'll ever have another relationship'

Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas opens up about her heartbreak, stalking hell and new book

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She may be the queen of the Strictly ballroom, but away from the glitz and glamour, Shirley Ballas has faced heartbreak, a terrifying stalker ordeal and battles with her own mental health.

And, as she tells OK!, one of the most painful chapters came on her 64th birthday, when a late-night message about her fiancé, Danny Taylor, turned her world upside down.

Cuddled up in bed with her mum, Audrey, 87, last September, Shirley's phone suddenly lit up.

It was a relative of Danny's, telling her that he'd gone missing, his phone was switched off and his family were very worried about him.

Suddenly, Shirley was engulfed by harrowing thoughts of her brother, David, who had tragically taken his own life in 2003, aged 44.

"I will never forget that day until the day I die," she tells OK!. "All those memories came flooding back... it triggered all these emotions."

Shirley spent the next few hours frantically trying to track Danny down. Then at 2am, she noticed that her WhatsApps to him had been read. But relief turned to anger when Danny reappeared the next day - and carried on as if nothing had happened.

Almost immediately, Shirley realised she couldn't be with someone who could cause her such agony again.

"I still loved him, but I thought, 'This is something I can't continue to be a part of," she explains. "It's all very sad." She and Danny, who is 13 years her junior, met in 2018 while starring in panto together. She admits she quickly fell head over heels for him, with the pair getting engaged in 2021.