'People judge you and don't know you': Shirley Ballas on getting married again and why she'll 'never share' her love life

She’s the Strictly Come Dancing queen, and Shirley Ballas is more than happy reigning solo for the time being.

The glamorous judge has opened up about her romantic life in a new interview, and she’s let it known that "at this time of life, I’ve got no desire to get married." Enjoying the independence that it brings, Shirley added that she doesn’t "want to answer to anybody".

Not ruling out a future romance altogether, Shirley made it clear that she’s done putting this part of her life out in the open though, especially after feeling judgement for her former relationship to fiancé Danny Taylor.

She told Prima, “If I ever have another relationship again, it’ll be kept out of the press, because I find most people are ever so judgey.

“I think it’s important if I have a relationship again, not to go public with it, because I found when I was with Danny, he was a bit younger than me and people judge you and don’t know you. So I think some things are meant to be private - I’ll never share that again.”

While she’s categorically ruled out the idea of being married again - Shirley has been married twice before, to dancer Corky Ballas for 22 years, splitting in 2007, and to dancer Sammy Stopford between 1980 and 1984 -, she hasn’t closed herself off to finding a future romance.

"I want to be able to do my own thing. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not open to having a relationship with somebody, here and there along the way. But I don’t want to get married, not make that commitment”.

Earlier this year, the Strictly star revealed that she was in a no-dates spell, focusing on herself after things with her former fiancé had become “difficult”.

She told The Times, “I’m OK at the moment. No dates. I don’t want to call anyone a boyfriend or a this or a that."

"Danny and I were together six years but I was always frightened he was going to take his own life. He was disappearing all the time. It just got to a point where it was so upsetting every time it happened, that I just decided to call it a day.

“It’s better to be on my own than constantly worrying, stressful, about somebody else."

Luckily, her career is hotting up. Shirley told the magazine that her attention is on the new series of Strictly and a rare opportunity to take part in its American counterpart, Dancing with the Stars.

She explained, “I have an opportunity this year, judging for the first time on Dancing With The Stars for Halloween. So I’ll do Strictly and then I’ll fly over to the US and judge that, then come back again.

“So it’s double duty this year. That was a job I’ve always wanted. It’s been on my wish list. One working with Mark [her son, a professional dancer on the show] and one, at least, doing guest spots on Dancing With The Stars.”