Strictly’s Shirley Ballas, 59, reveals she’s gained 20lbs during lockdown

Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has revealed she’s gained 20lbs after ‘eating day and night’ during the lockdown.

The former Latin dance champion, 59, said she’s determined to slim down again before the new series this autumn and has been following an intermittent fasting regime to get back down to her goal weight.

Shirley also gushed that she now believes her boyfriend Danny Taylor is The One after they both embraced living together for weeks during the lockdown.

Shirley told The Sun that after piling on the pounds in lockdown some of her clothes struggle to fit.

She added that she’s in the midst of losing the weight she’s gained to get back down to her ideal size, adding: ‘Mum said to me, ‘You’ve lost that five-pound bag of spuds off your ar*e — only three more bags to go’. No one wants to see my bits jiggling.’ 

Shirley also told the publication that while she continued to exercise during lockdown it was her poor eating habits that caused the weight gain.

She added: ‘I just ate everything. My neighbour would make a coffee cake and I would eat the whole thing.

‘I would sit and wait for the next meal. I would plan around the next meal. I would eat all day and night.’

But Shirley also said she’s now focused on reaching her goal weight of 120 pounds by following intermittent fasting diet, meaning she only eats from 12pm to 6pm each day.

Shirley also admitted that lockdown is the longest amount of time she’s spent with boyfriend Danny, who is usually travelling due to his job as an actor.

But she said that spending so much time with him has convinced her that he is The One, and credited him for helping to control her anxiety by filling the day with exercise and gardening.

Shirley will be reprising her role as a judge on the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, which is expected to be shorter due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s been reported that the series will begin in October with fewer celebrities taking part, to ensure the programme adheres to social distancing by pre-recording certain elements.

Shirley went onto explain that the judges will have socially distance and it’s thought that this series may not include a live audience.

She also said she remains hopeful that Bruno Tonioli will be able to take part despite travel concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic, as she also hopes to fly to the US in September to celebrate her 60th birthday with her son Mark.